A New Enemy
by Nature9000
Summary: Sights are set on the child of Riza and Roy to be used as a tool to create an army of homuculi and to aid the destruction of Amestris. Everyone must gather together to combat this new threat. What will be the fate of Amestris?
1. Remembering

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: This is a continuation/sequel to Opening the Gate. It's not major that you read that oneshot, since it will be discussed here. However, it's a good idea that you read it before reading this. For those of you that haven't, this is after the movie.

* * *

Chapter 1 (Reminiscing)

Roy and Riza walked down the streets of Central and into a store, their daughter was found to be pregnant a week ago and they were getting their baby shopping done now. "It's best that we do this instead of Calida," Riza said quietly.

"You think it would look bad when people find out the Fuhrer's daughter is pregnant?" Roy asked as he raised his eyebrow.

"Poor Calida, we have to be calm and understanding. She's a tough girl, but this is still traumatizing for her." Riza and Roy walked into the baby section and shifted through the baby clothes. "Javad was her best friend."

"Javad Elric…would you look at that for crying out loud!" Roy grumbled and crossed his arms. He tried not to be obvious, but it was obvious that he didn't like the fact that the father of Calida's baby was Edward Elric's own son. Roy's mouth formed a straight line and his eyes narrowed. "Even Fullmetal left this world when Winry got pregnant. Heh, like father, like son." Riza sighed and shook her head. She knew Roy was well upset, but there wasn't anything to be done.

"Sixteen years is a long time to go without your husband or father, Calida said Javad was just like Edward in the sense that he did not like his father."

"Yet he can knock up my little girl and leave to find his father! What the hell is that!" Riza sighed and pulled out a blue top, they didn't know what gender the child would be, but both she and Roy thought it'd be a boy.

"You need to calm down Roy, we don't want our Fuhrer to burst a blood vessel." Roy growled and shook his fist in the air.

"If I ever see that bastard then he's going to get it." Roy crossed his arms and smirked. "Look at that, he's the literal definition of a bastard as well!" Riza raised her eyebrow and slowly shook her head. It was true, the literal definition of a bastard was a child born out of wedlock, Ed and Winry never married.

"I think you need to relax, how many times have I told you that in the last ten minutes?"

"I don't know…maybe about five." Riza chuckled and put a blue top and a pink top in her shopping basket. It paid to be prepared.

"Try thirty five, Roy."

"Y-You counted all those!" Riza closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead.

"It was around the tenth time that I had to take away your gloves. Damn, you're taking this just as hard as Calida, I had to remove _both_ of your gloves. Plus, I would have removed Calida's sword, but she sort of needs it."

"It's always good to practice. I enjoy sparring with her in the swordplay."

"Yeah, I think she's better than you these days."

"Well she uses the sword with her alchemy, I just use my fire most of the time." Calida's sword was a very unique sword, it was hand crafted and had transmutation circles for fire built into it. That is why Calida was able to use flame on the sword. She was a flame alchemist by use and skill but an elemental alchemist by heart. Her other elements were not as well built but her fire was at her best. "The best water alchemy she can do is turning rain into needles and soaking people."

"She trained more than that with her water, I thought. I'm pretty sure she can drown people with it. Though you're right, remember when she was younger and she nearly killed you while taking a shower?"

"Don't remind me, I didn't enjoy having the shower turn to needles while I was leaving…that hurt the bottom of my leg!" Riza laughed as she and Roy made their way to a section of baby cribs.

"She can't do much with her air alchemy though…She can only blow someone away, but that is decent…if there's a wall nearby." Calida's wind alchemy could reach speeds at nearly one hundred miles an hour, but that was only on a very good day. She hadn't reached over sixty in three or four years.

"Her earth alchemy is handy!"

"Yeah, it works nicely in the garden. At best, she can make blades of grass shoot from the ground."

"Why didn't she do that when Javad was in that cave with her?" Roy asked with a flat tone of voice. Riza rolled her eyes and pointed toward a box.

"I think that crib will work, pick up the box and let's get moving."

"You know, Calida can perform a bit of light alchemy too."

"Only brightens the room up, though. I suppose it raises the temperature." Roy shrugged and walked toward the crib.

**-NEW SCENE-**

"So how are you feeling?" Caldor asked as he and Calida walked down the streets.

"I'm fine, I'm still slightly upset but…I'm good," Calida answered with a smile. After the experience in the cave, Caldor had found her and apologized profusely for what had happened. He did not know what the man gave him had a bad drug in it that made people drunk. He had returned to the cave to find Javad and Calida having sex and he quickly pulled them apart. Calida couldn't be drunk for long without passing out and when he pulled them apart, she fell to the ground and passed out. Javad was still slightly drunk when the gate opened and he wrote a quick note before leaving, it was then that Caldor ran to find help and when he returned, Calida was gone. "It's funny that you returned only five minutes after you left, Caldor."

"By that time, you were already gone…did I mention how sorry I am?" Calida chuckled and smiled softly.

"Only about a million times in the past few weeks, and I told you that I forgive you. I'm not angry with you, Caldor."

"You're angry with Javad, that much is understandable." Calida sighed and shook her head slowly, Caldor raised his eyebrow.

"I guess I am slightly upset with him, but you know…he was drunk. He couldn't control his…urges. God I am _so_ stupid!" Calida clenched her fists and Caldor quickly gave her a hug.

"Don't say that Calida, you are not stupid."

"Easy for you to say! You're not the one that got drunk and let your best friend that you actually had feelings for, get you pregnant!"

"You know what, let's not talk about Javad." Calida sighed and took a moment to relax.

"You're right, it's a bad idea to talk about him right now. So, how's your mom holding up?" Calida and Caldor grew to know each other well in the past few weeks, Caldor's father had been murdered years prior. It wasn't by Roy, which was when his father was a homunculus. When his father turned human, he found Sloth and married her. None of the homunculi knew that when they died they would have turned human anyway, of course, how were they supposed to know that? King Bradley couldn't be Fuhrer again, because he wasn't the same person so to speak. The homunculi could remember the memories of their lives as homunculi, but they would never be able to hold the same jobs. Their transition to human was almost the same as the transition from human to homunculi, only without the human transmutation. Most homunculi, like Bradley and Juliet Douglass, were good after they became human. Some of them retained their powers as alchemists. Sloth was a water alchemist.

"Since dad died a couple of years ago, mom has been real upset, but I think she's getting better about it." Calida smiled and nodded her head, it was believable.

"You're probably keeping her in line. You know, you're helping her to cope because you are his son." Calida stopped walking and Caldor looked over.

"Is something wrong?"

"Who was the person that gave you that drink, do you know?"

"I don't really remember…he was in a cloak of some sort. Why? You're not thinking of finding him to open the gate again, are you? Please don't do that."

"No, I don't want to do that. I hate getting drunk, alcohol is as stupid as smoking is! I just blame him for everything that's happened."

"Oh, and you want to find Javad?" Calida frowned and crossed her arms.

"Yes. Believe it or not, I was actually falling for him. I'm not like his mother, I can't just sit idly by and wait for him to come back. Damn, that's what happened to her, she waited and for sixteen years, Ed _still_ didn't come back. I understand the reason Javad left was to find his father and maybe he didn't realize what he had done, but he still is in trouble when I see him." Caldor chuckled slightly and crossed his arms over, he had a feeling that he didn't want to be there when Calida talked to Javad for the first time, if they ever saw each other again.

"Then we'll find a way to find him, Calida." Caldor smiled and patted Calida on the back. "I am going to help you find a way to open that gate again and you'll see Javad again. I promise that you will see him again." Calida smiled and gave Caldor a hug which caused him to blush slightly. He couldn't help it if he thought she was attractive, and she was. Her golden hair flowed smoothly over her shoulders and her bangs hung in front of her piercing chocolate eyes like her father's. She had a smile that could instantly freeze any guy that saw it and she had a tendency to make some men go weak in the knees when she passed. She was however, clueless to that fact. As attracted as he was, Caldor knew it would not be the right time to start being attracted to her.

"Thank you for that, Caldor. It makes me fell a whole lot better to know that you're with me on that. How do you think we could possibly go about opening the gate again, though?"

"I'm not sure right now. I could try asking my mom, she may know something from her time as a homunculus. Hell, the secret could lay in between them all or something!"

"A homunculus _could_ know something."

"Yeah, well mom and dad never could remember everything about their time as one of those. So mom's memory could be limited, no doubt she remembers her death though. That's why she was scared when Javad and I first met up a while back. She thought that he might harbor some of his father's resentment and try to kill me."

"I understand…"

"Well, I'm going to go talk to mom, she's probably wondering where I went to. That is, if she's returned from the pool yet." Calida nodded and waved as Caldor ran off. She had a sad feeling inside of her for some reason while watching him leave, she didn't know why that was, she shrugged it off as just what she's been feeling all this time. Calida turned around and continued walking home.

* * *

There's the Chapter, I hope you enjoyed it. The next will be out soon. Just so you know, it will be Roy, Riza and Calida centric, which is why it's Royai. I hope you enjoy it, drop a review.


	2. Like Father, Like Son

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: This is a continuation/sequel to Opening the Gate. It's not major that you read that oneshot, since it will be discussed here. However, it's a good idea that you read it before reading this. For those of you that haven't, this is after the movie.

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Chapter 2 (Like Father, Like Son)

Ed, Al and Javad Elric walked into a bright room. Ed pulled a chair over and sat in it as Javad silently cursed himself. "Cussing isn't going to do you any good," Ed said quietly.

"Don't you talk to me, bastard!" Javad exclaimed as he pointed to Ed. "I can't think straight right now." Ed chuckled and crossed his arms. "Why the hell are you laughing? Let me ask you something, didn't you even love mom?" Ed sighed and stood up slowly.

"I loved her, I did…"

"Then why? Why the hell did you leave her?"

"I…I'm afraid I have no answer for you. All I can say is that I was the only person that could close the gate on this side."

"Roy Mustang could have done it…"

"He didn't know this place. Only I knew this place well."

"Then why the hell did Al cross over here! You let him come but you didn't have the goddamn decency to let mom come with you!" Ed sighed and looked to the ground.

"I came on my own free will," Al said quickly. "Ed had nothing to do with my being here, other than the fact that I wanted to be with him."

"Yeah, and this bastard of a father cared more for his brother than he did for mom."

"It's not like that!" Ed said quickly.

"Then why the hell did you leave!" Javad glared into Ed's eyes and Ed stared back into Javad's eyes. Ed couldn't believe that he was honestly staring into his son's eyes, he would have thought he was staring at an image of his past self. Javad wore the same thick, blonde hair that he once had and he had a personality to match Ed's. Ed glanced at Javad's arm and sighed, there was the only thing that seemed to set the two apart from each other. Javad had not performed a human transmutation, this probably meant Winry hadn't passed on.

"How is everybody?"

"Like hell you're changing the subject!"

"Listen to me already!" Ed's voice was rising and his patience slowly melting away. "You are sixteen years old and you understand _nothing!"_

"You're damn right I don't understand something, I don't understand why the hell you left! What was a good goddamn reason for leaving us!"

"Why the hell did you leave that one girl behind then?" This silenced Javad, and Al stepped back slowly.

"I'm going home to Noah," Al said quietly. "I think our son should be returning from school by now." Al whistled and walked out of the place as Ed and Javad stared at each other.

"Don't ever talk about Calida again," Javad said with an angry calm. "I don't want to believe that I can be as goddamn stupid as the bastard that had sex with my mother and dumped her like trash."

"I did not do that!" Ed exclaimed with an angry voice.

"Then what do you call it!" Javad quickly threw a punch toward Ed only to have it blocked by Ed's right arm. Javad pulled back and growled. "So mom was right, your arm _is_ mechanic."

"She was always the best mechanic," Ed said as he walked over to the refrigerator. He pulled out a carton of milk that Al put in his cereal. He turned to Javad and held the carton out. "Milk?" He chuckled at the grimace that appeared on Javad's face.

"Like hell I want that puke flavored crap!"

"You'll never grow…"

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING A PINT SIZED SHRIMP WHO DOESN'T GROW BECAUSE HE HATES VOMIT FLAVORED CRAP!!"

"I didn't word it like that…"

"Hm…I always thought you were short."

"Your mother failed to mention that I grew during the years I was away? Hell I'm probably taller than Colonel Bastard by now." Javad raised his eyebrow and stared at Ed with a confused look.

"Who the hell…is that?"

"Roy Mustang." Javad's eyes grew wide and mouth failed open, his mom never did tell him that Ed knew Roy. She mentioned Roy but never mentioned anything about Roy and Ed knowing each other.

"Don't _ever_ call him that again!" Ed crossed his arms and raised his eyebrow.

"Okay, why shouldn't I?"

"Calida's father is Roy and Riza Mustang." Ed blinked and his eyes grew wide, so the Colonel and the Lieutenant finally married. He had a feeling they might have gotten together, but he didn't ever know.

"So what has come of Colonel Mustang?"

"He is actually the Fuhrer of Amestris now." Ed smirked and let out a sigh, he figured Roy would make that by now. He had to wonder just how long he'd been Fuhrer for.

"So…how long has he been Fuhrer?"

"Ever since you left, the people love him so much that he keeps getting reelected. Amestris has been pretty much perfect while he's been Fuhrer, he's the best Fuhrer there ever was."

"Well that's pretty good. So, tell me about this girl, Calida."

"She's been my best friend since practically birth. Mom kept me a secret from anyone…she didn't want people getting the wrong idea. Calida was the only one that ever knew my secret. I confess that I had fallen in love with her. Of course, I'm sure she hates me now…I don't know why, but Mom doesn't hate you."

"I see…Why would she hate you?"

"A friend gave us this drink that he got from someone who said it would open the gate temporarily. What he didn't know was the drink would make us drunk. During that drunken moment…I had sex with her and I was too focused on my thoughts and inebriated at the time to realize what I had done. So when the gate opened, I immediately charged into it in an attempt to track you down." Ed sighed and shook his head, that definitely wasn't good. At least Hoenheim had a good reason for leaving and he had a slightly good reason for leaving, but Javad made a big mistake.

"So, that's why you probably want to get back. I've been searching for a way back all these years and I still haven't figured it out."

"Well search harder!" Javad was near panicking now, he wanted to get back desperately, he had to get to Calida as soon as he could.

"You don't know just how hard I've searched, you're not listening. I am not able to find anything, and I've tried just about everything. The only way the gate was ever able to be open before was because a homunculus was transmuted! There are no remaining homunculi in this world and there is only one transmutation circle in this world that works and that is where the Thule Society was. I've tried everything I could with it but I wasn't able to cross over to the better world."

"So, you're saying that I'm stuck in this goddamn place?"

"Yes, that is what I'm saying." Javad blinked and shook his head, one place he did not want to be was stuck with his father in a place that he could not use alchemy.

"What about former homunculi? The philosopher stones that were in them worked to turn them each into humans when they died. So that means there are former homunculi who are in human form, so what about that homunculi that you transmuted to open the gate the first time!"

"No, he never died, he disappeared entirely. There is no way he could have come back as a human, it is impossible." Javad sighed and crossed his arms.

"Well I am not giving up, I have to get back, I can't stay away from Calida. I'm not like you!" Ed sighed and rubbed his forehead, it was apparent that Javad was not changing his mind about Ed any time soon. "So tell me, is there any news on the grandpa bastard?" Ed smirked and kept himself from laughing at the response.

"Hoenheim is dead actually. When the first homunculus was transmuted, he was sacrificed for the good of opening the gate. It was his wish for me to return home."

"What the hell! Then he died in vain you bastard!"

**-NEW SCENE-**

Al walked into his home, he wasn't sure why he left earlier, it was something his wife said for him to do. She claimed that a vision of Ed's past would be there, he supposed Ed's son qualified as that. "Michael, are you here?"

"Yeah, I'm here pop," Michael Elric said as he stepped out of a room. He had a forlorn look on his face and was looking to the ground. "It's happened…" Al's eye's widened and he ran into the room Michael walked out of. He swiftly ran to Noah's bedside, she had been sick with a terminal illness and was supposed to die any day, he just didn't expect it to be so soon.

"Noah…" Al closed his eyes and frowned. Noah's lips were cold and the color was draining quickly from her body.

"Dad, what did her last words mean?" Michael asked quietly as he walked back into the room. "I know I'm like her and I can see visions of the future, but I don't understand this…she said that the young ones can't return home."

"I don't know…" Al stood up slowly and frowned. "We'd better call the next of kin. I-I just can't believe she's gone, she's actually…" Al struggled to keep the tears from leaving his eyes, but it was difficult. "Your cousin has come, by the way."

"My cousin came here? What does that mean?"

"Javad Elric is the son of Winry Rockbell."

"Oh, that's from the other world!"

"Yes, it is a world I will never return to."

"What? Why wouldn't you return there?"

"Because of this…" Al slowly caressed the side of Noah's face. "I would be too tempted to perform a human transmutation." Michael sighed and closed his eyes, Al looked over to see Michael's eyes tighten.

"The gate will open one final time! The Elrics must visit an old and forgotten place in order to see the ones they love again. A former homunculus commits the great sin!" Al quickly grabbed his son's arms.

"What are you saying? What does all this mean?"

"The brokenhearted Elric will be attending a ceremony, he will not see the other world."

"What?" Michael's eyes opened and he quickly rubbed his forehead.

"I don't know what it all means, pop. It's obviously segments of the future, but they don't come to me in visions, you know that." Al nodded his head, sometimes mysterious words would flow into Michael's thoughts and those words were often riddles and predictions of something to come.

"I'll call the number for them to come get Noah. It's going to be a small funeral for just the close family, that's what she wanted." Al hoped that Ed would show up at the funeral, but Ed didn't like Noah anymore. It wasn't so long ago that Noah said something that Ed could never forgive, things just were not the same between the three after that. Ed had been upset with Al for siding with Noah and she wouldn't let Al do anything for his brother. It was just a barrage of insults after that, Ed and Al both wound up drifting apart after that. They still cared about each other as brothers would, but their bond was just not as strong anymore. Now, Ed was completely devoted to finding Winry. _"It's how it should be. Maybe one day Ed will find Winry."_

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There's the chapter, thanks to the one guy who reviewed the last chapter. I'm glad you enjoyed that last chapter and I hope you enjoyed this chapter and future chapters to come.


	3. Bringing the homunculi back

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: This is a continuation/sequel to Opening the Gate. It's not major that you read that oneshot, since it will be discussed here. However, it's a good idea that you read it before reading this. For those of you that haven't, this is after the movie.

* * *

Chapter 3 (Bringing the Homunculi back)

A woman stepped out of a cave and glanced from side to side. A scowl slowly appeared on her face, "Mother, your death will not be in vain. I will give you your revenge, I will bring back your army." The girl was twenty years of age. She had long black hair that flowed to her waist. "With homunculi as humans, they're in for trouble. It's a damn good thing I got Pride a couple years ago."

"Lady Hecate, I know where the others are," A voice stated. Hecate turned to see Pride standing behind her. He looked exactly like his former self as a homunculus. "I still don't see why I can't kill that bastard, Mustang."

"Not yet, you will get your chance," Hecate stated. She crossed her arms and smirked. "So where are the others?"

"The human Greed has been leading a biker gang in Liore. The human Lust has been residing in the rebuilt Ishbal, she apparently lived in secret. The human Sloth has been living as a depressed mother in Central and her son has befriended Calida Mustang."

"Her son is strong, I have interest in him…I have no interest in that woman though. If Caldor Bradley dies, then we may want to transmute him. Tell me, Javad Elric is gone, right?"

"Yes, the new Wrath, also known as Blaze, gave Caldor the drink to give to Javad for opening the gate. It also hit Calida Mustang's emotions and set them off the charts because it made Javad get her pregnant."

"How are things with the new Envy, also known as Bullet?"

"He's been doing well, murdering everyone we want him to take care of."

"Okay, that's good. Lord knows that half robot needs something to do with his time. Really you have to pity him, in his past life he was a mentally deranged psychopath."

"Frank Archer was a pretty insolent piece of crap if you ask me."

"Perhaps we shouldn't have sent Elric away…he did cause my mom's plan to fall through the cracks."

"Eh, Dante was robbed…She deserved so much more than what she got."

**-NEW SCENE-**

Pride walked down the streets with a frown on his face, _"Hecate had to transmute me. Who gave her permission to turn me into a homunculus once more? We only get to turn into a human one more time. That means if I die as a homunculus again, it's over for good."_ Pride gripped his side and scowled. _"That's right, that bastard Mustang would probably have my sword now. That leaves me without a usable weapon and only my fists."_

"Hey, Pride, how's it going!" A voice exclaimed. Pride turned to see Wrath, or Blaze standing next to him.

"Hey Blaze, good job on getting Javad out of here for good and that one girl all messed up."

"I don't know what to tell you, Calida Mustang doesn't seem any worse for wear or anything," Blaze stated as he crossed his arms. "She seems to me like she's a little bit angrier than usual. Hey, how many of us are there?"

"Well there is me, you, and bullet so far."

"Oh…so once we get Greed and Lust, there will be five of us?"

"Yes."

"Shouldn't there be seven?"

"There will be seven. Do you not know that there is a depressed woman around? Don't say Juliet Douglass, I'm not talking about her. She's not sick nor is she dying."

"Do you mean Winry Rockbell?"

"Yes."

"Why is she depressed?"

"Her son is gone, her husband is gone…don't forget that she has a ten year old daughter who was the product of a rape."

"So what can we do with her?"

"I don't know…It's just a thought. Hecate doesn't want Juliet Douglass." Blaze nodded and looked over as a motorcycle revved its engine.

"Well look, it's Greed." Pride smirked as a band of motorcycles drove down the street. On the lead vehicle sat a man with spiked hair and shades. He had on a fur jacket without any sleeves.

"Okay Blaze, you know what to do." Blaze smirked and stepped in front of the motorcycles.

"Out of the way!" Greed shouted. "Move it unless you have a death wish, pal!"

"I'm sorry," Blaze said as he closed his eyes and chuckled. "It is not I that shall be dying. It is you."

"What!" Blaze's body shot up in flames and the bike gang quickly slammed their brakes. "What the hell!"

"I am Blaze, I can turn my body into flames."

"Holy crap, run!" The biker gang quickly sped away and Greed dashed by only to have his motorcycle lit on fire. "Crap!" The vehicle exploded and Greed slammed into a nearby wall. Blaze walked slowly toward Greed and grinned deviously. Greed moaned loudly and looked up at Blaze.

"Don't worry, you will return to your homunculus form soon, only because we know you have a _very_ loyal alchemist beside you."

"Crap…"

"We'll be seeing you as one of us very soon." Blaze slammed his flaming arm into Greed and lit him on fire. "He's well done." Pride rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Could you _not_ use lame fire puns?"

**-NEW SCENE-**

Bullet and Hecate walked through the streets of Ishbal, they chuckled at how nicely rebuilt Ishbal had become. "They wasted their time rebuilding this damn land," Hecate stated as she crossed her arms. "What do you think, Bullet?"

"I don't really care," Bullet said with a shrug. "I don't see why I should care, either. So, who is the seventh homunculus going to be?"

"You will see…Blaze sent Javad away but unfortunately that won't be enough. The gate will reopen and he may just return. I intend to make him lose his soul."

"So you're going to make him transmute someone? Who would be cause enough for him to perform a human transmutation?" Bullet watched as Hecate lifted her hand and held three fingers in the air.

"There is his mother, she is very sick and has been sick lately. If something were to happen to her…well, you know what they say, right? Like father, like son." Bullet nodded his head and Hecate pulled one finger down to her palm. "Then there is that little ten year old sister of his, Megan Elric. She's so sweet and precious that it disgusts me, if she died though, he would definitely perform a human transmutation."

"You'd have to be pretty damn evil to kill a girl like her." Hecate raised her eyebrow and glanced at Bullet. "Yeah, you're evil enough." Hecate rolled her eyes and held one final finger up, oddly enough, it was her middle finger.

"Then there is the true love of his life, Calida Mustang. If he came back and that little bitch was dead, he would without a doubt perform a human transmutation."

"What about her father though?"

"No, her father's too damn smart to pull one."

"You're sure he'd lose his soul?"

"Yes, I'm damn sure of it. Now, walk with me down this alley, Lust lives in a secluded apartment." Hecate and Bullet walked down a long and dark alley until they came to a patch over a wall. Hecate placed her hand on the patch and it dissipated to reveal a hole. "She uses alchemy to put that cover up. She's going to be losing her alchemy in a moment."

"Hey, just how old is that Pinako woman now?"

"Surprisingly, old enough to still be living…" The two made their way to a room in the building and noticed Lust sleeping in the bed. She had a man that was sleeping next to her. _"Oh, that's the alchemist that will be crazy enough to perform a human transmutation on her."_ Hecate chuckled and looked to Bullet. "Shoot her, but with something that's not too loud."

"Okay, I'll shift the ammo inside my body to…how do arrows sound?"

"That's perfect." Bullet smirked and lifted his hand up. A sharp tip poked from the palm of his hand and shot into Lust's head. "Good, let's go! That foolish alchemist will transmute her and she'll be with us once more. After this, there is one more person I desire for you to take care of, Bullet."

**-NEW SCENE-**

Caldor slowly walked toward his home, every day Calida seemed to be doing better. There would be times when he'd let an open flirt slip through, he couldn't help it. Every time he did, Calida would laugh. "She is kind of cute, but I really shouldn't flirt with her and stuff. It would be wrong…After all, we're going to bring Javad back." Caldor knew his mother was gone once more, she always went somewhere. Today she was probably with one of her friends. He was glad that his mom seemed to be doing slightly better than she used to be.

"Hello there," A voice stated. "How are you?" Caldor turned around to see a hand pointed directly toward his face. "It's a shame that you have to die the same way your father did, but it's the way it has to be. Like father, like son." Caldor started to leap back so he could attack but it was too late, several bullets shot from the man's body and through Caldor.

"C-Crap…" Caldor's eyes went skyward as blood fell from his numerous wounds. He fell to his knees and collapsed to the ground. His killer chuckled and quickly fled the scene.

* * *

Ooh, Caldor's gone and the homunculi are back, what could this mean. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and stick around for the next


	4. The Great Sin

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: This is a continuation/sequel to Opening the Gate. It's not major that you read that oneshot, since it will be discussed here. However, it's a good idea that you read it before reading this. For those of you that haven't, this is after the movie.

* * *

Chapter 4 (The Great Sin)

"Mommy, will you be okay?" Megan asked as she rubbed a wet cloth over Winry's head. Winry moaned as Pinako walked into the room. Pinako was well into her years but she was far from dead.

"Megan dear, you should go outside and play," Pinako said quickly. "Your mother needs her rest." Megan looked at Pinako and then back to Winry.

"Mommy's going to be okay, right?" Pinako sighed and nudged her great granddaughter out of the room. Pinako walked over to Winry and rested her hand on her forehead.

"I'm not going to see him again, am I?" Winry asked. "I do hope Javad will see his father well." Winry slowly looked toward the ceiling, she knew it would come to this. The rapist that hit her ten years ago inflicted her with a dangerous disease, luckily it was not hereditary and did not pass on to Megan. Slowly over time the disease ate away at her body and would eventually claim her life. "Grandma, I think today is the day…" Winry started to cough violently. "…The disease will take me. Take good care of Megan for me, grandma."

"Don't worry, Winry dear." Pinako closed her eyes and sighed. She had to hear her children were killed during the war and now she had to see her granddaughter die.

"I will always love Edward, please…if you see Javad, don't let him react like Ed did. He'll want to place blame on his father for this, I know he will." Winry smiled weakly and let out a sigh. "He's as strong and predictable as his father once was. I find my daughter is as good of an automail mechanic as I was also, maybe even better. If you ever see Ed again, give him a tap with a wrench. I don't want to hurt him too much, but he needs to be hit by a wrench at least once for leaving me behind. I'm sure his son would give him enough hell to last though…" Winry smiled and closed her eyes. Pinako stared at Winry and let a tear fall from her eyes. Pinako left the room and slowly closed the door.

_"I'll take care of Megan for you."_ Pinako looked over to see Megan looking at her with tears in her eyes. She let out a sigh and figured that Megan knew her mother had passed.

"I'm going to make mommy proud of me," Megan said with a sniffle. "I'm going to be the best automail mechanic ever…" Pinako smiled and hugged Megan.

"I'm sure you will Megan, I'm sure you will."

**-NEW SCENE-**

Juliet returned home from visiting a friend. She was told that she needed help aiding her depression that. She didn't think she could take more bad news, but she also thought she was doing rather well in staying pleasant. That was until she spotted Caldor lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood. "Caldor!" Juliet shrieked as she ran toward Caldor's body and grabbed him in her arms. "Caldor!" Juliet quickly wept for him and cried painful tears. All reasoning and thought left her as she ran into her home. She grabbed up several materials and ran outside. "I won't lose another!" She drew a large transmutation circle and placed Caldor's body on the circle. Quickly she cut herself and sobbed violently as she placed her hands on the circle. A bright flash shone from the ground and a large door appeared behind her. Juliet stepped back and reasoning came back to her as she quickly placed her hands on her eyes and wept. She felt herself being grabbed and pulled into the gate, she accepted it, she did not try and fight the inevitable, she'd lost every reason to live.

"Juliet Douglass, the time has come for you to die," A voice spoke. "Because of you giving us your homunculus and human soul, a gate shall open between two worlds for the final time." Juliet looked over and spotted her son's soul.

"Caldor?"

"Yes. However, you have turned me into a homunculus. I am using my soul and your homunculus soul to open the gate. Javad Elric will return for Calida Mustang, which is how it should be." Juliet felt something go into her chest and pull out. She then found herself staring at herself, only, it was not herself. It was Sloth's soul, the homunculus she was. Caldor took Sloth's arm and both souls vanished.

"Caldor, wait!" Juliet exclaimed as she reached her arm out. Too much had happened to her in life, she knew she wouldn't want to live now. "What have I done? I haven't accomplished anything. I used to be Tricia Elric and then I died…Then I died again and became human. After that I lose my husband and now my son…"

**-NEW SCENE-**

Later that night was when Caldor and Juliet's body was buried. Calida stood in front of Caldor's grave and scowled. "So this is it, huh?" Calida asked. "I lose yet another close friend of mine?" Calida clenched her fists and allowed a tear to streak her face. "Why the hell did this happen? I swear that whoever did this to you is going to pay. Maybe this is a sign though, you did say you'd help find Javad, maybe this means I will never find him." Calida felt Riza place her hand on her shoulder.

"Calida, dear, it's time to go," Riza said quietly. "Do you need more time?"

"No. I can't do anything more. It's funny though, he quickly became a close friend of mine and now he's dead. I don't even know how to start looking for Javad either."

"I would be cruel to say give up on him," Roy said with a frown. "So I'll say this, we'll help you look for Javad. We'll help you find a way to open that gate."

"Do you think I should care, dad?" Calida sighed and rubbed her arm. "He did get me pregnant and then leave me behind."

"I think you have a big heart, if you find it in your heart to forgive him, you will. It's just a matter of how things work out."

"I need to sleep…I'm ready to go back home now." Roy and Riza nodded as they walked with Calida back to their car.

**-NEW SCENE-**

"So Al won't be coming with us?" Javad asked his father. Ed shook his head and sighed.

"There's no reason for him to do so. We haven't figured out where the gate is yet, or even how to open it up," Ed said quietly.

"So, mom said you and Al were always close, what happened?"

"His wife was upset, it was a stressful day. She said that I needed to just get over the bitch and move on with my life and there was no reason to search for something that wasn't there. I yelled at her and then things went flying. Al sided with her and told me that there was no more gate to open and I shouldn't make myself so sad by searching for Winry." Javad sighed as they walked into the old chapel that the previous homunculus had died at.

"So this was where Envy and Hoenheim died?"

"Yes." Ed walked toward the center of the room and sighed, memories flooded him as they always did. This was where the woman died and this was where everything happened. This was where he sat in the center of the room and screamed after realizing he left Winry behind and couldn't go back for her. "I've been here constantly, there really isn't-" A violent rumbling sound came from the ground and Ed leapt back. He and Javad stared as a large portal opened up. An image of Caldor stood in the center of it.

"This is the final time a portal will be allowed to come in between these worlds," Caldor's spirit said. "It is allowing you to return, a former homunculus was the key to opening this portal. When you enter, you will be in Amestris, but in separate areas of it. Come quickly, for you do not have a long time before the portal closes off." Caldor's image vanished and Javad stared at the portal with Ed.

"I don't know what the hell just happened," Javad said quietly. "However, if this portal is open, that means I'll get to Calida again!"

"You realize you'll have to win her trust over again, right?" Ed stated as he raised his eyebrow. "I mean leaving her behind after doing what you did with her, it's not something that's going to let you win her trust over very easily."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Let's just go already! I don't care where you end up though." Ed sighed and rolled his eyes as he and Javad walked into the portal.

**-NEW SCENE-**

Pinako's house was next to Winry's home, she let Winry lay in the bed during the night. She had a feeling that Javad would be returning, she didn't know how correct her feeling was. At the current moment, Megan was at Pinako's home. Nobody could expect Javad to appear in the very room that Winry's body was laying. Javad stood straight up and dusted himself off. "I'm back!" Javad exclaimed with a cheer. He looked around and smirked. "The bastard didn't come through here apparently." Javad turned around and his eyes grew wide as the fell on his mother's bedridden body. "Mom!" Javad ran over to his mother's side and took his hand. "No! Mom! Goddamn it, the bastard was coming for you! Why did you die, mom? Mom!" Javad let the tears fall from his eyes as he too lost his sense of reasoning, he grabbed a piece of chalk and drew a large circle on the floor. "I'll get you back, mom. Come on, he actually came, you can't lose your life before you see him! Goddamn that bastard, he'll pay for leaving you behind, mom." Javad quickly placed his hands on the circle and his eyes widened as he realized his big mistake. "Oh F-"

A large gate appeared from the ground and Javad turned around, his eyes widened as he spotted the doors opening. "No! I won't take it! I'm nothing like my damned father!" Javad ran but several arms grabbed his right arm. Javad screamed in pain as his arm was ripped from him. He screamed in agony once more and lay on the ground as the gate left him. He looked up from the ground and at his mother, "That _thing_ is not my mother!"

* * *

There's the chapter, hope you liked it.


	5. Time for Automail

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: This is a continuation/sequel to Opening the Gate. It's not major that you read that oneshot, since it will be discussed here. However, it's a good idea that you read it before reading this. For those of you that haven't, this is after the movie.

* * *

Chapter 5 (Time for Automail)

Megan woke up from her slumber and moaned, she walked to Pinako's bedroom and woke her great grandma. "Granny, what's that noise!" Megan said quickly. Pinako sighed and opened her eyes slowly.

"What noise is that, dear?" Pinako slowly climbed out of the bed and looked at Megan.

"That screaming next door…there was a big light that I saw as well." Pinako thought for a moment and then her eyes widened.

"Oh no…Megan, grab the automail and let's go! Hurry, I have a bad feeling!"

"What's happening, Granny?" Megan quickly grabbed some automail in her arms and handed them to Pinako. Pinako and Megan rushed down the stairs and out of the house. Pinako had a sinking suspiscious feeling that history just happened again.

"It may have been a bad idea to leave Winry's body on the bed for the night before the people could pick her up in the morning." Pinako quickly kicked open the door to Winry's home and ran inside Megan screamed when they reached the room that Winry's body had been.

"Javad!" Megan exclaimed. "My brother's bleeding!"

"It is as I feared." Pinako put the automail down and took Javad's body to a couch, Megan ran in the room after collecting first aid equipment. Swiftly Pinako cleaned the wound around Javad's arm. She did everything as she remembered doing with Edward once before. After time, she had the bandages wrapped around Javad. _"He's going to want automail, I know he will. Calida will be furious with him when she sees him, now it'll be for more reasons than one."_

"Big brother, wake up!" Megan exclaimed as she shook Javad. "Wake up big brother!" Tears fell from Megan's face. She was happy to see that her brother returned, but she was sad to see what was in front of her. She wanted to know if her brother would survive. She looked at Pinako for the answer and Pinako gave her a reassuring smile.

"He will be just fine," Pinako said quietly. "We just need to let him rest."

-NEW SCENE-

Ed appeared in a large looking room, he wasn't sure where it was that he wound up. He noticed a bed nearby and thought he saw two sleeping figures in it. _"I better be quiet and get out of here,"_ Ed thought as he edged toward the door.

"Hold it!" A voice exclaimed. Ed froze and the moon shone on his arm. "Riza, I think I'm seeing things now. I thought I just saw Fullmetal."

"I don't care who it is Roy, just get the guy out of here!" Riza exclaimed. Ed raised his eyebrow and turned around.

"Well, it seems I've appeared in the home of Colonel Bastard," Ed said quietly. Roy held his hand in the air and stared with a shocked expression on his face and Riza paled slightly.

"WHAT!" Roy exclaimed. No sooner had he shouted had Ed been knocked to the ground by a door opening.

"Get out of my parent's room, jackass!" Calida shouted as she drew her sword. Ed looked over and saw flames shoot from her sword. "I don't know who the hell you think you are, but if you're not out of here in three seconds, I'm going to cut you to several little pieces.

"Wait, I'm Edward Elric, don't do anything you shouldn't do!" Calida raised her eyebrow as Roy flipped on a light switch. Everyone stared at Ed in shock.

"Why the hell did you appear here?" Roy asked.

"I don't know…maybe it has to do with the fact that you destroyed the gate on this world or something." Ed stood up slowly and dusted himself off. "I guess this is your daughter."

"Yeah, I'm their daughter," Calida said with a scowl. "I guess if you're here that means….oh my god…Javad! Did you ever meet up with your son?"

"Yes. I did meet up with him."

"Is he here?" Ed nodded his head and Calida quickly sheathed her sword. This was the best news she had heard all day, Javad was back. She couldn't deny that she was still furious with him for what he did to her.

"You're not going to kill him are you?" Ed chuckled and Calida scowled at the joke.

"Do you know if Javad wound up anywhere else?"

"He probably has, but I don't know where exactly." Ed looked over as he heard the click of a phone receiver being put down. Roy sighed and crossed his arms.

"I know where he's at," Roy said quietly. "I feel the need to tell you though, you missed your wife. She's scheduled to be taken and buried tomorrow." Ed's eyes widened and his jaw feel in shock that he'd missed Winry.

"S-She can't be dead…"

"She had a long illness given to her by a violent criminal ten years ago. That man raped her and she has a little girl that Pinako Rockbell is taking care of."

"I see…damn, I can't believe this has happened."

"Come on!" Calida exclaimed as she quickly turned around. "We have to go talk to Javad!"

-NEW SCENE-

Javad opened his eyes and moaned quietly, he saw Megan's face appear in front of his and he nearly screamed in shock. "Big Brother, you're awake!" Megan exclaimed. Javad smiled weakly and glanced at where his right arm used to be.

"Do you know what you've done?" Pinako asked as she stepped into the room. "You've done the same thing your father did several years ago and now you have one less limb."

"Yeah, I figured that much."

"I've called Roy Mustang over here. So expect to see Calida, that's the reason you're here, correct?"

"Yes, of course it is! How is Calida?" Pinako let out a sigh and shook her head.

"Calida is just fine. She's mad at you though, she is pregnant."

"What!" Javad's eyes grew large and he almost became speechless. "I should have known…"

"Yet you did not, you had no way of knowing." Javad couldn't help but wonder if Calida was truly mad at him and if she would hat him for the rest of their lives. He deeply regretted leaving Calida behind, he hated himself for his foolishness. "Caldor Bradley has passed on as well."

"What?"

"He was murdered, by whom, we do not know." Javad sighed and shook his head, he had only known Caldor a short time but didn't think anyone would want to kill the guy. "Javad, do you want me to attach a metal arm to you?"

"No."

"Why?"

"I don't deserve another arm for what I have done. I've transmuted my mother and I left Calida behind, I do not deserve to have another arm. I have lost one and as punishment, I shall live without one."

"I think you really should reconsider that decision. I think Calida would be happier if you had both arms." Javad started to open his mouth but stopped when he heard a door slam open.

"Where's the bastard at?" A voice asked. Javad sighed and hung his head, that voice belonged to Calida. Soon Calida, Roy, Riza, and Ed all stepped into the room. Ed stared at Javad in shock and Calida let out a soft gasp. She then clenched her fists and slowly walked over to Javad. "Javad, long time no see."

"Yeah, I had a little trouble too, I'm a bit wounded," Javad said quietly. Calida chuckled and crossed her arms.

"Yes, I can see that, you deserve it too." Calida narrowed her eyes and Javad glanced over to the side, he could feel the tension in the air. He glanced up and saw Ed in the room, his jaw nearly fell and a growl escaped his throat.

"What the hell!" Ed calmly walked toward Javad, Javad swiftly glared at Ed. "What are you doing here, bastard?"

"Javad, you didn't…did you perform a human transmutation?" Ed asked in a quiet voice.

"So what if I did?"

"You did _what!"_ Calida exclaimed. "You stupid asshole! Do you want me to cut off those other limbs of yours? You know, that's not all I should cut off that belongs to you…" Calida sighed and glanced over at Pinako. "Pinako, you should attach automail to him."

"He doesn't want any," Pinako said quietly.

"I don't care, I want him to have automail right now."

"I don't need it!" Javad exclaimed. "It's punishment!" Calida glared at Javad and quickly positioned her sword at his throat.

"You think you're not being punished? You're a bastard, I hope you know that!"

"Yeah, I figured I might be one of those." Calida took a piece of paper and shoved it in Javad's face.

"What the hell is this! You were drunk but then you realized what happened and you _still_ left me to find your goddamn father! Do I mean nothing to you, Javad?"

"No…"

"I'm sorry if you think I'm acting like a bitch right now, but you deserve everything you're going to be getting from me! So if you have any problems, you can just kiss my ass," Calida sighed and her face softened slightly, she placed her hands on Javad's shoulders and pulled him in a friendly hug. "Don't get any ideas, I'm not sure if I'm ready to fully trust you yet. However, I shouldn't really be yelling at you at a time like this…Your mother has died and you committed a human transmutation. You lose your arm and here I am getting angry at you during this time, I'm sorry for that."

"It's fine…" Javad glanced to the ground and let out a sigh. He couldn't help but to blush at the hug given to him. He looked over at Roy who had his arms crossed. Roy narrowed his eyes and handed his gloves to Riza.

"I won't fry you now," Roy said quietly."Just wait though…" Roy walked over to Javad and placed his hand on his shoulder. "If you _ever_ hurt my daughter again in any way whatsoever…expect to be ash for the rest of your life." Riza sighed and shook her head.

"Roy, save that talk for another time," Riza said quickly. Roy crossed his arms and grumbled as Calida let out a small chuckle.

"He wanted to return," Ed said quietly. "Just as I desired to return for Winry." Ed clenched his fists and sighed. "I was too damn late, but he wasn't." Calida looked over at Ed and back to Javad with a soft smile.

"I'm not completely heartless," Calida said. "You were my best friend for so long…I may be angry with you and I may not trust you for a while, but as long as you honestly wanted to come back and realized your mistake…you could be forgiven. Javad, please accept an automail arm. I want you to have one."

"I don't deserve it," Javad said quietly. Calida sighed and crossed her arms.

"Fine, be that way. If you won't take it, I'll have everyone hold you down while your sister and Pinako attach the automail arm. We need you around and we could use your strength."

"Why?"

"I have a bad feeling…the reason Caldor died and all. I get the feeling there is something dangerous lurking out there. Other than that, I want you to have that arm. You'll be the same either way, don't punish yourself this way, I can punish you enough." Calida smirked and Javad let out a small chuckle. He always did find it difficult to say no to her, he put his head down and then looked over at Pinako.

"I'll take it." Pinako smiled and picked up the metal arm as Calida stepped back.

"I need a new arm myself," Ed said quickly. He looked to Javad and smirked. "Javad, a little warning…it's going to be painful."

"Hah! I can handle pain!" Javad said quickly.

"Yeah, that's the same thing that I said."

* * *

There's the chapter, hope you liked it


	6. The Bastard Left Again

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: This is a continuation/sequel to Opening the Gate. It's not major that you read that oneshot, since it will be discussed here. However, it's a good idea that you read it before reading this. For those of you that haven't, this is after the movie.

A/N: I'd like to thank the two people that's been reviewed this twice, if it weren't for those reviewers, I would discontinue this story. So big thanks to Devilheart and EMT Official.

* * *

Chapter 6 (The Bastard Left Again)

Roy and Ed sat in a couple of chairs the next week, there was not much to say between them. Winry had to be appropriately buried and Javad was still growing accustomed to his automail. "So, Javad tells me I should just call you Fuhrer instead of Colonel Bastard," Ed said quietly.

"That's one hell of a way to start a conversation, Fullmetal," Roy said with a bored tone of voice. "Yes, it would be preferred that you call me Fuhrer or Roy Mustang. Or even a combination of the two will work."

"Heh, yeah, I could probably do that." Ed sighed and crossed his arms.

"So where's Alphonse?"

"He's still in the other world. We sort of drifted apart; he's got a kid to take care of now."

"I could say the same for you." Roy pointed toward a bedroom door where Javad was sleeping.

"He hates me, just as much as I hated Hoenheim, its funny if you think about it."

"He does remind me quite a bit of you actually."

"If you mean by hating milk and being short, then yeah…"

"You've grown quite a bit yourself, Fullmetal." Roy crossed his arms and chuckled. "Do you think he's going to want to try and find the philosopher's stone like you did?"

"There is no reason to find it. Besides, he doesn't even know how to create it."

"That's very much like you actually. You never knew, in fact, none of us really knew how to create such a taboo thing like that."

"If he ever found out, I'm sure he wouldn't take it well. How is everyone in the military now?"

"The only one that actually made much of a difference was Lieutenant Havoc. He stayed in for most of these past sixteen years, everyone else left within ten years. Alex Armstrong was the only one that stayed the longest, that was eight years. Havoc is still in the military; he received a lot of promotions and holds the rank of Major General. His brother is also in the military."

"Havoc had a brother?"

"Yes, he's a Colonel now. He joined the military shortly after your first departure from this world, He's thirty years old. His name is Colonel Vash Havoc."

"Vash Havoc, what kind of name is that supposed to be? Well, I _guess_ it's an interesting enough name." Roy smirked and let out a small chuckle.

"Kain Fuery was probably the most weak blooded of us all, he left only one year after you came back and left again. He just couldn't handle it any longer."

"Things got better, didn't they?"

"Yes."

"Then why did everyone leave?"

"Well it was only Fuery that left because of that. Maria Ross and Denny Bloch retired and had a kid. Falman got too old and quickly became tired and had to quit. Breda moved from the country about ten years back. So only Havoc is left but he's getting tired, he may retire this year, who knows when he'll retire. Did you know his brother is a state alchemist?

"Whoa, he's really a state alchemist? What is his alchemy?"

"Vash Havoc, the Ice Alchemist."

"Ice, huh…how does that work out?"

"He can freeze things or make glaciers shoot from the ground. It's kind of like my Flame if you remember…only, not as good. He can make a cloud of freezing mist surround someone and drastically turn down the cold. All of this is done by the snapping of his fingers."

"What is it with alchemists and finger snapping?"

"Only Ice Alchemists and Flame Alchemists have a need for snapping their fingers. People do it however they want though…be it snapping their fingers, or clapping their hands together."

"I noticed Calida's gloves are different than yours."

"Yeah, they're black gloves." Calida wore black gloves with a red array on them.

"Where's Calida today?"

"She and Riza are at the doctor's. They're getting a check up, Calida has supposedly been pregnant for the past four weeks but she hasn't actually felt any symptoms. She's had no morning sickness or anything."

"So there's a chance she may not be pregnant after all?"

"Yes, there's a chance, but I don't think it will help her any with Javad. She's still mad at him for dumping her behind after having sex, even if both of them were drunk over it." Ed nodded and crossed his arms.

"I don't see how I'm going to be of any use to him. I mean, he's mad at me…Also, he just transmuted Winry, you know what that means."

"Yes. It means that she's a homunculus out there somewhere."

"Juliet Douglass disappeared when her son died, correct?"

"Yes."

"Also, you said that the military had been keeping checks on the human Greed and Lust, correct?" Roy nodded, he made note that in the past time, both Greed and Lust were reported dead and their lovers wound up doing a human transmutation on them. Roy could see where Ed was going from there, it seemed like something was stirring up. Ed stood up and his mouth formed a tight line. "I'm going."

"What?"

"The only reason I came here was for Winry, she's dead now and possibly a homunculus. Several things have been happening, I don't know where I'll go or what I'll do, but I can't just stay in one place."

"Your son…"

"…Has been growing up without me for sixteen years and can make some more time until I destroy the ones that are responsible for Winry's death. Do not tell Javad my intention or where I will be going, but he doesn't need me." Roy clenched his fists and quickly stood up.

"Fullmetal, think about what it is you are saying! Javad doesn't know anything about you just yet! He needs to know who his father was, do not be like your own father." Ed started to walk toward the door, he stopped and turned around with a frown on his face.

"I'm going to visit Winry's grave to think about some things."

"What about your daughter, Fullmetal!" Roy growled and stepped toward Ed. "Don't hold it against me, but if you step out of that door, I won't be responsible for what your son does to you." Ed shrugged and walked out the door, Roy growled slightly as Pinako walked into the room.

"Edward has left?" Pinako asked.

"Yes, he left again, just like he did before. He needs to be here for his son, he doesn't realize that…I don't even know where he will go now."

"What will you tell Javad?"

"What can I tell him? I honestly don't know where Elric is off to. From what it sounds like, Ed has nothing, and that would hit his children pretty damn hard." Roy shook his head slowly and turned around, he knew if he ever saw Ed again, he'd fry the imbecile, this time it would be just for his son leaving Calida behind.

"He's just following the path of his own father."

"He's a fool then…he's a goddamn fool." Pinako sighed as Megan ran into the room and tugged on Roy's shirt.

"Mr. Mustang, where did dad go?" Roy looked to Megan and frowned. He wasn't sure how to tell the ten year old girl that Ed left, even though she didn't know him well, she did grow close to him.

"Where did he go?" A voice asked. Roy looked over and saw Javad stepping out of the bedroom. "Well? Where did the bastard run off to?" Roy clenched his fists, he didn't want to have to be the one to tell them the bad news, all his life he hated to be the one bringing the bad news. The front door flew open, Riza and Calida entered the place.

"Riza, Calida, how are you?" Roy asked with a smile.

"Not pregnant!" Calida said quickly. Javad grinned and looked over as Calida glared at him. "I'm still pissed off at you though."

"Oh, come on!" Javad said quickly. "It's not like your pregnant!"

"I'm still ticked, so don't think you're off the hook! I told you once; it's going to be a long time before you ever regain my trust again."

"I was drunk!"

"Yet you were fully knowledgeable when you left this world! That means you could have chosen to hunt down your father or stayed here to make sure I was okay."

"Okay, I'm sorry! How many times do I have to say that?"

"I forgave you already, but it'll be a while before I trust you…I was shattered, broken and you didn't care, that's what I see."

_"Damn, I want her to trust me again, but it's going to be hard. I _will _get her to trust me again."_ Javad crossed his arms and looked over at Roy. "Anyway, where did that bastard of a father run off to? I guess being a bastard is in the genetics though."

"Evidently it is." Calida smirked and Javad narrowed his eyes, he sighed and looked to Calida, he refrained from making a comeback and looked over at Roy.

"Well, where is he?" Roy clenched his fists and his jaw grew firm.

"I-I don't know," Roy said in a calm but angry voice. Everyone looked at Roy with their eyes slowly growing wide. "He said he wanted to visit Winry's grave and maybe he is…maybe he's also visiting his own mother's grave. However I know that he won't be coming back, that's what his words were. Where he went, what he intends to do…I don't know completely."

"Damn it!" Javad exclaimed. "Once a bastard, always a bastard, I should have known!" Roy shook his head sadly and crossed his arms. His face then turned serious and he looked at Javad.

"You're going to become a state alchemist."

"What?" Javad raised his eyebrow and looked at Roy. "I'm going to do what now?"

"You're entering the state military and through it we will find your father and do what we need to do from there. Besides, the military could use someone with your alchemy skills." It was true; they could use Javad in the military. Javad's trademark weapon was a trident, but he could transmute so many different weapons. Most of the weapons he could transmute were metal, like swords, axes, spears and more. He was a master of air alchemy as well. "I will place you under Colonel Vash Havoc.

"What! That guy…I know him…you can't do that!"

"Oh? And why can't I?"

"He's the bastard of the military!" Roy chuckled and crossed his arms.

"Well that's just too damn bad." Roy smirked and Javad grumbled slightly. "Oh, and Calida…"

"What is it, dad?" Calida asked as she looked to her father, he held his smirk and Calida frowned.

"You will be his traveling partner, everyone needs a partner. Of course, Riza and I will be with you guys when you go most places, you need a responsible adult."

"I never thought I'd hear that from you, Roy," Riza said with a chuckle. "I think it's a good idea, what about you Calida?"

"Y-You're joking right? You're sending me with him?"

"You know we are, it has to be like that." Calida crossed her arms and grumbled slightly. She looked over at Javad and glared.

"Okay, but if he tries anything funny, I'm whacking his head off with my sword. Even _if_ I can't kill him with the sword because he's not evil…"

"You have my solemn word, Calida," Javad said with a nod. "I will not touch you in any way that you or your father deems inappropriate."

* * *

Hope you liked this chapter, stick around for the next

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	7. Commanding Officer

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: This is a continuation/sequel to Opening the Gate. It's not major that you read that oneshot, since it will be discussed here. However, it's a good idea that you read it before reading this. For those of you that haven't, this is after the movie.

* * *

Chapter 7 (Commanding Officer)

Colonel Vash Havoc sat at his desk and peeled through the paperwork, his subordinates all sat at their own desks. He had only one First Lieutenant and that was Amara Neely. There was one Second Lieutenant and that was Tyler Curtis. The others were just sergeants or privates. There was Sergeant Ryan Williams and Private Bruce Jones. "Someone else is going to be put under my jurisdiction," Vash said quietly.

"I hear he's going to try and become a state alchemist," Ryan said quickly.

"Yes, Javad Elric. I'm not sure why, but that name sounds very familiar to me."

"Maybe your brother knew someone with that name."

"That could be true." Vash continued to sign the papers on his desk and let out a sigh. He didn't mind doing the paperwork, there was just so many papers. Sometimes he wished he could just freeze the useless papers and not worry about those. Vash's eyes drifted over to Amara, he couldn't help but to be distracted by her, she was a beautiful person. She had silky brown hair that came just short of her shoulders and chocolate colored eyes. He did wonder sometimes what a girl like her was doing in the military, but it did seem to fit her in some ways.

"Why are you staring at me, Colonel?" Amara asked as she looked over to Vash. "Are you finished with your paperwork?"

"Not quite, I'm almost finished with it though," Vash stated. "I'm just thinking about something."

"Ah…You know…I hear the Fuhrer's daughter will be working with the new guy, as well as the Fuhrer himself." Vash nodded and crossed his arms, the Fuhrer was making a personal mission to find someone that the new guy was searching for. Vash figured the person coming in was young, it was mentioned the guy was younger than he was. Vash joined the military sixteen years ago, just before the attack from the other world and Mustang's return. That made him fourteen years old when he joined; still he was not the youngest ever to join the military. Vash only got in because his brother was the one shooting to get him in.

"Well, whenever this guy gets in here, we'll see what he's all about. Who is this person anyway?"

"Javad Elric, sir. He's the son of the Fullmetal alchemist, Edward Elric." Vash raised his eyebrow and chuckled.

"How the hell is that possible?"

"Just before Edward Elric left or maybe sometime before he ever disappeared…I guess he had a kid with someone. Either that or he never disappeared in the first place." Vash shrugged and turned to look out the window. He heard many legends about the Fullmetal alchemist, all the way down to his mysterious disappearance. Nobody really knew what happened to him, one day he came back and then he vanished again. The last person to see him was the Fuhrer; Roy Mustang never told anybody what happened though.

"Ah…well let's hope this guy shows up soon." Amara nodded as Vash started to work on his papers once more. She enjoyed his perfect brown hair combed back and his icy blue eyes. She could gaze at him all day but she knew it was wrong. She always had to question the reason Vash seemed distant, he always was more of a silent person who spoke only when he needed something. Amara looked over to see Jean Havoc walk into the room, Vash stood up and saluted his brother.

"General Havoc sir, is there something you need?"

"I was wondering if your new subordinate had showed up yet," Jean said quickly.

"No."

"Ah…So tell me, when am I going to be an uncle? I'd like for once to have a nephew or a niece running around." Vash raised his eyebrow and shrugged. "Anyway, you asked me to pick up that medication for you, so here." Jean handed a small sack to Vash. "You'll need that ointment, normally burns aren't that bad but when you're an ice alchemist, I guess that affects things."

"Yeah, thanks…" Vash set the ointment on the desk and crossed his arms. "Is that kid anywhere around here yet?"

"No. Remember to treat him well; he is the son of Edward Elric." Vash watched as Jean left the room, he sighed and sat in his seat. He leaned back and looked down at his left hand; he clenched his fist and stared at the gloved fist with hard eyes. Vash glanced upwards as the door opened once more and Javad walked in, Javad pressed the palms of his hands on the desk and looked closely at Vash. Vash closed his eyes and slowly stood up; he wondered why Javad didn't bother to salute.

"Okay, so you're under my jurisdiction, good to meet you." Vash eyed Javad closely, he was wearing a black jacket over a grey shirt and grey pants and black shoes. He had two white gloves on his hands and a blond braid slightly past his shoulders.

"Got any orders, Colonel?" Javad asked. Vash smirked and crossed his arms.

"Yes, I would like for you to go to Liore for an investigation. There seems to be someone that is in need of a protector from potential assassins."

"Aw come on, you can't be serious! I can't go on field missions just yet!"

"That is true; you still have to become a state alchemist. Then once you do that you'll have that little battle with one of the other state alchemists. Once you're done with that, you're going on that field mission, there are no complaints, are there?" Vash rubbed his chin and smirked.

"You're a bastard, I hope you know that."

"I've been told…I've also been told that you're the son of the legendary Fullmetal Alchemist, is this true?"

"So what if it is?" Vash closed his eyes and sighed.

"Then you are ready for field missions."

"What the hell! How does that qualify me as ready for field missions!"

"Be lucky you don't have to fight the Fuhrer's daughter." Javad smirked and crossed her arms.

"Hah, I could handle her any day."

"I would love to see how you'd fare in a fight against the Fuhrer or his daughter. Do you know who the Fuhrer is? He's the one who helped save Amestris, your father, Edward Elric did the same thing."

"Don't refer to that bastard as my father! That filthy bastard left my mother alone and then he comes back and leaves again! Now my mother is dead!"

"The Fuhrer informed me that you lost your mother and your father. That is why I've gladly accepted you into my squad, so remember that as long as you are my subordinate, you are to follow my orders. Oh, and are you sure you could handle fighting the Fuhrer's daughter? Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure, she'd be easy to take on, _and_ defeat."

"I've fought her, I wouldn't say she's easy."

"Well then, you're weak." Calida slowly walked through the door and stared at Javad, it appeared she had heard what he said, she crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.

"So you're referring to me as weak, Javad?" Calida asked while unsheathing her sword. "Why don't we fight here and now and find out."

"I'd actually like to keep my office intact," Vash said as he took his seat.

"I am not weak!" Flames ignited on the sword as she slashed it through the air and toward Javad, he yelped and lifted his arm up sword hit his arm with no apparent effect. Vash raised his eyebrow and looked at Javad's arm.

"Why did that have no effect on your arm?" Vash asked as he slowly stood up.

"That's none of your business," Javad stated. Vash walked over to Javad and grabbed his arm, he swiftly brushed the sleeve up to reveal an automail arm. Javad pulled the arm back and growled.

"I see…"

"So I have no arm, what does it matter?"

"I wonder if you tried a human transmutation."

"Why should you care? It doesn't matter, bastard." Vash held up his left hand and slowly peeled off his glove, in place of his hand was automail. The act signified that he too had performed a human transmutation one time.

"After you become a state alchemist, you will fight me. I would like to see how well you fare against me." Vash walked over to his chair and sat down, he looked over at Javad and crossed his arms. "Why are you still here, you may leave now."

"Who says I want to fight you?" Javad scowled and Vash shrugged. "Oh, and what the hell does the fact that I committed a human transmutation have anything to do with anything?" Javad was not aware quite yet that he may have created a homunculus. Vash shrugged once more and Javad turned to leave the room with Calida. Vash leaned back in his chair and stared at a photo on his desk, it was of him and an old best friend of his that died several years ago.

* * *

There's the end of this chapter, again, there's nobody reviewing this. Let me know what you think.


	8. Trouble Begins

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: This is a continuation/sequel to Opening the Gate. It's not major that you read that oneshot, since it will be discussed here. However, it's a good idea that you read it before reading this. For those of you that haven't, this is after the movie.

A/N: I'm being generous and I'm giving you two chapters in one day.

* * *

Chapter 8 (Trouble Begins)

"You still don't trust me, do you?" Javad asked as he and Calida walked down the street with her parents.

"Men are scum," Calida said as she crossed her arms. "So in a sense, no, I don't trust you. You can say you're sorry as often as you want, but it will be a while before I can entirely trust you again."

"Whatever it is you want me to do, you know I'll do it." Calida sighed and glanced to the side.

"Yeah, whatever you say…"

"At least you'll be here to cheer me on!" Calida narrowed her eyes and scoffed slightly. Javad was going to try and become a state alchemist on this day, he already passed all the other things, he just needed to fight a state alchemist. Calida wouldn't be a state alchemist because she was unsure about how people would react to the Fuhrer's daughter being one of them.

"Yeah, just…do your best."

"Thanks Calida. Though I really don't feel like going up against Vash, I think I'd probably just take him down in one hit." Calida chuckled and shook her head slowly.

"Let's see, you're an air alchemist with a trident and he's an ice alchemist, I think you're going to wind up with freezer burn on your rear end."

"High hopes you have for me Calida." Calida smirked and saw Javad looking over at a passing female, she sighed and hit him on the back of his head.

"Just try not to get distracted by the girls."

"That hurt you know," Javad stated as he rubbed the back of his head. Roy and Riza chuckled and glanced at each other as the group came to the doors of the arena. "So you guys will be in the stands, right?"

"Yes, good luck out there Titanium Alchemist," Roy said with a salute. Riza smiled and patted Javad on the back.

"Make uh…make us proud," Riza stated. She knew she couldn't say for him to make his father proud, though that is what she would do in most cases. Javad nodded and looked over at Calida, she looked away and glanced at him through the corner of her eyes.

"Just do what you can," Calida said quietly. Her voice then took a low whisper. "I hope you win."

"What was that?" Javad asked. "I didn't quite hear that, could you speak a little louder?" Calida narrowed her eyes and Javad smirked.

"Just go in there, moron." Javad nodded and opened the doors, he could see Vash leaning against the wall of the arena. Calida, Roy and Riza made their way toward the seats and watched as Javad and Vash walked toward the center of the stage. Roy stood up as customary for the Fuhrer to announce the battle.

"Okay, welcome to the showdown of two State Alchemists," Roy said with a loud voice. "Vash Havoc, the Ice Alchemist will be squaring off against newcomer, Javad Elric the Titanium Alchemist. Let the fight begin."

"So, you're rooting for Javad, right?" Riza asked with a smile.

"No, I'm rooting for the hotdog guy in the stands over there," Calida said as she pointed toward the man carrying a tray of hotdogs, Riza laughed at the sarcastic statement.

"You know, he seems like an honest guy, if not then you can make an honest man out of him. We girls do have the ability to make an honest man out of them." Riza looked over at Roy and Calida blushed as she watched Javad fight.

"Mom, please stop!"

"Sorry dear, just try not to be so harsh to Javad. I know that's hard because he hurt you, but both of you got drunk without even knowing it."

"Well if another man attempts to do anything to hurt me, then it'll kill all trust I have for men, thank you very much." Calida watched as Javad started to run from Vash who was snapping his fingers and causing glaciers to shoot from the ground.

"Go easy on me!" Javad exclaimed. Calida chuckled and crossed her arms.

"Oh yeah, that's one hell of a tough man," Calida said as she shook her head. "Do you think dad will have a nickname for him?"

"No, only Javad's father had a nickname," Riza said quietly. "Ed was like a son to Roy, it was a devastating loss for all of us when Edward Elric vanished the first time, but Roy took it a little harder. If you think about it, he lost a son."

"So that's why dad left you for two years?"

"No."

"Right, he left because of Maes Hughes…"

"That and the Ishbal massacre had plagued his mind for such a long time. Plus, he didn't leave me for two years, I knew where he was and I even paid secret visits to him every now and then." Calida nodded with understanding and watched as Javad transmuted a trident and charged for Vash. She knew the battle wouldn't end until Roy called for it to end and that would probably not be until one of the alchemists fell, Calida sort of hoped that her dad would end the match before anybody suffered any damage.

"I'm going to the restroom, mom."

"Okay dear, we'll be waiting." Calida nodded and stood up, Javad looked over to see her leave the stands and head for the restroom, he then jumped back to avoid another cold attack by Vash. Calida made it toward the restroom and heard something behind the small restroom building, she walked around and saw Caldor standing before her with a smirk on his face.

"Hey Calida, long time no see, right?" Caldor stated as he lowered his arms. Calida blinked and held a shocked expression on her face.

"What are you doing alive?"

"Oh it's nothing, don't worry about it." Caldor walked slowly toward Calida and held a smirk on his face. She stepped back and bumped into the wall; she growled slightly and started to lower her arm toward her sword.

"I don't know who you are, but I _know_ you're not Caldor, you can't be."

"I am Caldor, in the flesh." Caldor grabbed her wrists and held them in place. Calida pulled back but couldn't budge. "Oh and did I mention that I am very strong now?"

"Damn you…" Calida gasped as Caldor pressed himself against her brushed his lips onto hers. "No, stop this!"

Javad thrust the trident toward Vash only to have the man dodge it once more. He leapt back in time to avoid getting hit by another glacier and an explosion of ice. This went on for several minutes; Javad looked over to see Calida was still out of her seat. "What the hell, it's been ten minutes!" Javad said quickly. He noticed that both Roy and Riza seemed a little nervous, all three knew it didn't take Calida ten minutes to go to the restroom.

"What do you keep looking at?" Vash asked as he snapped his fingers once more. Soon all action ceased when a burst of flame shot over the stadium, Javad watched as several bursts of flame shot over in an S.O.S. signal.

"Calida…Calida's in danger!" Javad quickly turned and rushed toward the restroom area with Vash in quick pursuit. Roy and Riza ran from their seats as well, Javad was the first to arrive. He could hear someone crying for help and he ran behind the building and saw Caldor with Calida. "Damn you!" Caldor looked over in time to be hit with Javad's trident. "How dare you touch Calida!" Caldor chuckled and leapt back as Javad swiped his trident toward Caldor.

"I'm with you," Vash said quickly as he snapped his fingers and froze Caldor's hand. Javad quickly slashed the hand off and noticed it reforming.

"What the hell…"

"Elric, it's a homunculus!"

"It's a what!" Riza ran toward Calida and embraced her in her arms as Roy snapped his fingers and sent several flames toward Caldor.

"You dare touch my daughter!" Roy exclaimed with fury. Caldor leapt back and avoided the burst of flames and ice, Javad continued to slash at Caldor with his trident. The more Caldor avoided, the more Javad's anger grew.

"Mom, I hate them," Calida said quietly as Riza rocked her back and forth.

"It's okay Calida, don't worry," Riza stated.

"I hate men, they are all the same, every last one of them."

"Don't think about it Calida, just relax."

"Men are so arrogant and only want one thing!" Calida slowly stood up with anger on her face. She drew her sword and scowled. "Burn in hell Caldor!" Calida charged toward Caldor and Javad, the two looked over in time to avoid Calida's sword swipe. Javad was able to leap back and not worry about being targeted at the moment, Calida used her anger on Caldor and started to burn him with her fiery sword.

"Hey, I got a fancy sword too," Caldor said with a smirk. Like Pride before him, Caldor had a sword, Pride did not have a sword. "I'll fight with it next time, but for now, I'm going to have to end the fight." Caldor leapt on top of the building and laughed. "Well it was fun, _all_ of it!" Calida growled and the flames on her sword grew. Caldor quickly bounded off and Javad slowly walked toward Calida in an attempt to comfort her, she turned around and glared at Javad. She sheathed her sword and held up her hand.

"I…" Calida snapped her fingers and sent a fireball toward Javad. "…am…" Javad leapt back and saw another fireball coming his way. "…_not…_" Javad leapt back once again and avoided yet another fireball. "…EASY!" Calida continued snapping her fingers with rage and Javad continued to dodge the fire.

"Calida, relax!" Riza exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around Calida and hugged her daughter. "You're okay now." Javad started to pant and look at Calida, she was glaring at him but he knew she wasn't mad at him at the current moment.

"Whatever, lets just go and watch Vash and Javad kill each other."

"I think that battle's over now," Roy said with a hard tone. "It's best if we all go home."

"Javad goes to Pinako's home," Calida stated with anger in her voice. "I don't even want to _look_ at Javad right now!"

"Pinako's house is too far from Central, he'll need to stay somewhere…"

"Then he can get a goddamn hotel, there's a nice cockroach infested hotel somewhere in Central, I'm sure of it!" Javad gulped silently as Riza and Roy walked with Calida, Riza continued to talk to Calida in a soothing manner. Vash looked over at Javad and sighed.

"Well Elric, I'm sure you'll figure something out. At least you're an official alchemist now," Vash stated.

"That doesn't matter right now," Javad said quietly. "What the hell was that thing?"

"It was a homunculus, I'll explain on the way to the office." Vash walked off as Javad continued to stare at Calida in the distance. He sighed and turned to follow Vash back to Central Headquarters.

* * *

That's the end of the chapter, hope you liked it.


	9. The First Order

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: This is a continuation/sequel to Opening the Gate. It's not major that you read that oneshot, since it will be discussed here. However, it's a good idea that you read it before reading this. For those of you that haven't, this is after the movie.

* * *

Chapter 9 (The First Order)

"What exactly is a homunculus?" Javad asked as he walked toward Vash's desk.

"Homunculi are what form when an alchemist performs an unsuccessful human transmutation," Vash stated. "Your father created one and I created one as well."

"You performed a human transmutation?"

"Yes and I created a homunculus that could turn his body into fire, I have scars from when I fought with him, those scars still need medication on them every now and then." Javad nodded his head and sat down in a chair. Apparently homunculi were dangerous and cruel. Vash continued to explain what he knew about homunculi, they were artificial humans with strange powers.

"So my father created one?"

"Yes and that one I think had water attributes."

"Damn, so why was that homunculi doing what he was doing with Calida?"

"They have a mind of their own and they are evil. You seem to know the Fuhrer's daughter well."

"She was my best friend growing up…"

"She _was_ your best friend, what happened?" Javad sighed and looked away slightly.

"I left her to hunt down my bastard father. My coming back didn't really do that much good for her, she still hates me."

"Yeah she seemed a bit angry with you earlier." Vash smirked and Javad winced as he remembered how angry Calida had been and how she tried to fry him.

"Her alchemy's funny though. When she uses her flame alchemy, it can only burn who she wants it to burn, unless she's very mad and can't control her anger."

"I'd say you have a lot to do in order to build her trust in you again, that is assuming she doesn't trust you."

"Trust me, she doesn't care much for me now. I also get the feeling that now it isn't just me, it's my gender." Javad let out a large sigh, he knew he was going to have some trouble, Calida was harsh when she got angry. She had a problem with being a little overly violent whenever she got angry with someone or something. He could remember when they were very young and Calida was trying to open a bag of chips, she refused his help until she got so angry she tossed the chips on the ground and continued to stomp on the bag and lit it on fire. That's when she turned to Javad, smiled sweetly and asked him if he wanted any chips. _"She hasn't smiled at me in all the time I've been here…I miss that."_

"Women can be tough," Vash said as he looked over at Amara. "They can be very tough and very aggressive at times." Amara stood from her seat and picked up a stack of papers, she walked over to Vash and set the paperwork on his desk.

"I'm sure you know what to do with these," Amara stated. "Get to work on them."

"You do remember who the boss is, right?" Amara narrowed her eyes and glared at Vash.

"What was that?"

"I'm working, I'm working…" Vash sighed and pulled out a pen as Javad started to snicker. "Shut it, Elric." Javad crossed his arms and watched as Vash signed some of the papers. "This stuff is annoying but it has to be done."

"Yeah, I think Calida's dad was the same way," Javad said with a smirk.

"Fuhrer Mustang never did his paperwork and complained all the time. At least, that is what my brother tells me."

"Do you think Calida went to far trying to barbeque me out there? I mean I was the guy that tried to stop Caldor."

"Judging by what happened, you're of the male gender and she is mad at the male sex."

"Yeah and she's already mad at me anyway, but that doesn't give her the right to char me!"

"Actually, it does, Elric." Vash smirked and Javad scoffed. "Considering she's already mad at you as it is, I think it gives her every bit of right to attack you."

"I really don't like you."

"You'll get over that quickly, Elric."

"Sure thing, Colonel Bastard!" Vash chuckled and looked over at Javad.

"I'm very tempted to go ahead and send you off to where you have to go, a lot sooner than you would want. Anyway, it's best now that since Calida Mustang is a close friend of yours, you should just try to comfort her. However, she's the Fuhrer's daughter and a very tough girl, she'll bounce back really quickly."

"Yeah, trust me she doesn't let something like this bother her forever. She will however, not be trusting of some people for a while." Vash sighed and signed one more sheet of paper.

"Elric, you should have gone after Calida."

"What? And get my butt fried by her? I think not…"

"Women are strange creatures." Vash looked up and at Amara, he then sighed and looked back to Javad. "Sometimes they want something, they will act like they don't want it. It's their way of holding in their true desires. I also suggest, if you're as much of a flirt as they report you to be, try not flirting with other women while around Calida."

"Who told you…"

"Mustang sent that in with the file about you."

"So I have a little problem with that…" Javad placed his arm over the top of the couch and looked away with a sigh. "It really doesn't matter, does it?"

"Believe me when I tell you this, it matters deeply."

"Calida hates me now anyway, so she wouldn't care if I flirt with other girls anyway. Besides, that's my own personal business!"

"If she doesn't care about you now, then why is she and her parents choosing to go on missions with you?"

"Only to find that bastard of a father, the Fuhrer and his wife knew him as well. Other than that, they could care less about what happens to me. Once we find the bastard, I'm going to make him pay for everything he's ever done!" Javad quickly slammed his hands together and sent a burst of wind through the room, Vash shouted as all the papers went flying off of the desk.

"Elric!" Vash's eyebrow begun to twitch and Javad chuckled nervously. "I thought you could control that air alchemy of yours…"

"I can, I was just a bit angry at the moment…" Vash sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"Okay Elric, here's the deal. You will go to Liore and guard the leader over there, that's your new and first mission. Your partner may not be going with you, so go say goodbye to the Fuhrer's family."

"Why would Calida not go? She's fine…"

"Your friend was just taken advantage of by a homunculus."

"It doesn't help much that the homunculus looks like another one of our friends, either." Vash raised his eyebrow and sighed.

"That settles it, she won't be going on this mission, you'll be doing it alone."

"I feel compelled to warn you, she's not going to like that."

"That's too bad, she'll have to settle with it." Javad raised his eyebrow as Vash leaned back in his seat.

"So you think you can just order the Fuhrer's own daughter off of a mission?"

"She is technically a civilian."

"She's the Fuhrer's daughter, do you think you can raise your jurisdiction above the Fuhrer's desires?" Vash smirked and did not give an answer. "You surely don't think you're better off…"

"The Fuhrer isn't the one that's under my command, and neither is his daughter. I can order you around, so I'm ordering you to say goodbye to Calida Mustang and go to Liore alone. The Fuhrer can do what he wants there, but he also doesn't hold you under his immediate command either."

"You are a bastard, I hope you know that." Vash smirked as Javad stood up and walked out of the office.

-NEW SCENE-

Calida growled as she started working with her alchemy, she needed to train and get the other three elements mastered. "I'll start with water," Calida said as she snapped her fingers. "The moisture in the sky should form water and we'll go from there." Water did appear in the air and Calida made it hit a tree. "Too bad all I can do is wet things with that. Damn, my alchemy sucks."

"I don't think it sucks," A voice stated. Calida swiftly turned around and held her hand up as she glared at Javad. Javad raised his hands up slightly and chuckled. "I'm just saying, I think your alchemy is great."

"What do you want, Javad? If there's anything you want that relates to me and you doing anything I don't want-"

"I don't think it's exactly like that. Heh, I got an order from my commanding officer to go to Liore and guard the ruler over there, I think that person is actually a female named Rose." Calida lowered her hand and stared at Javad.

"Okay fine, when do we have to go?" Javad chuckled and rubbed the back of his head.

"Well you see…I have to go right away." Javad crossed his arms and sighed. "Meaning I have to go alone."

"…What?" Calida's eyes grew wide as Javad sighed.

"I'm sorry Calida, but that's just the first mission, you get to go on the second."

"But…we're supposed to go together, all of us. You, me, mom and dad! We can't just be split up like that."

"Well it's not my fault the Colonel is a bastard who thinks of himself and only himself! He says that you're not under his jurisdiction and I am, so I was ordered to go alone."

"My dad can-"

"He also said that I'm not directly under your father, your father can order him to do something about it probably but by the time he can, I'd be on the mission already. Besides, I think it may be a good idea, you need to rest for a couple of days after what just happened to you." Javad nodded and turned around. "So, I'll see you later, Calida." Calida growled as Javad walked away.

"Damn it…so I'm stuck practicing my alchemy and I don't get to go on this mission? Hmm, I'll find a way to go to Liore, mark my word…" Calida sighed and started to rub her fingers together in thought, forgetting that she had her gloves on. When her fingers rubbed together, sparks flew and flames engulfed a tree, Calida blinked and stared at the tree. "Oops…"

* * *

There's the chapter


	10. Arriving in Liore

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: This is a continuation/sequel to Opening the Gate. It's not major that you read that oneshot, since it will be discussed here. However, it's a good idea that you read it before reading this. For those of you that haven't, this is after the movie.

* * *

Chapter 10 (Arriving in Liore)

Calida walked into the house and sat down on the couch, Roy and Riza walked over to her and looked at her with a questioning look. "You're done training already?" Roy asked.

"I don't feel like training," Calida said with a low grumble in her voice. "Why would I, I won't be going on the first mission." Roy raised his eyebrow and looked over to Riza, she shrugged and sat down next to Calida.

"Tell me what happened," Riza said quietly.

"Javad came by and said that he was ordered to go to Liore immediately and guard some girl named Rose. He was ordered to go alone, I suspect it has something to do with what happened earlier." Calida narrowed her eyes and frowned. Roy would have made a joke about scowl lines but it wasn't the time to do that.

"So he left again," Roy said with a slightly angered voice.

"Well it wasn't really his fault this time, was it?" Riza asked. "We'll just talk to his commanding officer."

"Yeah, I'd like to see his reasoning on why Javad had to go without Calida's assistance." Calida crossed her arms and scoffed.

"It's just another man doing what he wants to do," Calida said as she slowly stood up. "Well, I'm not going to let another man think he can walk all over me and dump me behind like yesterday's trash. If Javad's going to Liore, then I'm going to Liore. Hell, while he's guarding this Rose girl, I'll be finding the ones trying to assassinate her!" Calida smirked and crossed her arms. "Besides, why would they leave this Rose's life in the hands of a man, those dogs can't be trusted to do anything, much less treat a woman with the common decency she deserves." Riza glanced at Roy with concern on her face and he patted Calida on the shoulder.

"Look, don't let what one man did to you change your views," Roy said quietly. "Besides you can hardly consider Caldor to be a man now. He's a homunculus, that's far from human."

"It may be far from human, but it's still close to human. Either way, I'm not worrying so much about that."

"If we leave now we could still catch Javad."

"Oh no…" Roy and Riza raised their eyebrows as Calida smirked. "If he's going alone, we're going alone. We'll find the ones that want to do this girl harm and we'll be the ones to complete the mission before Javad has any idea what hit him." Calida walked out of the room and Roy let out a sigh.

"So much for Javad rebuilding Calida's trust," Roy said as he rubbed his forehead.

"Oh no, he'll do it," Riza stated with a smile. "I don't know how but I know that he will do it."

"Well I have to say that I agree with you, Riza. Like his father, he seems pretty determined when given a goal to complete. I think he'll win our daughter's trust again."

"Yeah, especially since Calida can't deny what is already in her heart." Riza looked over at the doorway that Calida passed and smiled. "She's very much in love with Javad, she just denies it." Roy crossed his arms and grumbled.

"You don't know that."

"The way she talks about him and how she looks at him, what mother would not know she's in love?" Riza smiled widely and looked at Roy. "You are just afraid of your daughter growing up."

"No, I'm afraid of what every father is afraid of and that has already happened!"

"Calida isn't pregnant, Roy. However, I don't think it would be completely horrible if she was, not that I think she should be."

"No but two men have hurt my daughter in a way that makes me want to kill both of them."

"Yes, and one of them is working to fix what he did, can't you tell Javad wants to make it up with Calida?"

"Not entirely…"

"Take it from me, a mother, I can tell both of them still love each other and both of them want to fix the distance that has been put in between them."

"Well I'm a father, I can dislike any guy that wants to court my daughter." Riza smirked and walked over to Roy, she stood behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Yeah, but you like Javad and don't mind him trying to go for your little girl."

"Well…they have known each other for years apparently." Riza kissed the back of Roy's neck and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I think they would make a good team and a perfect match."

"Yeah, it just means that we become related to an Elric." Roy grumbled and Riza let out a soft chuckle. "I have to wonder though, why are there homunculi now and who transmuted Caldor when he died? Though, it seems like his mother is the one that did it, she died along with him I think. I guess we'll have to clean up Amestris once more and we'll be starting with Liore."

"Yes, but it won't be hard. As long as we're together, we can do just about anything, right?" Roy smiled and nodded as he hugged Riza close.

"Of course that's right, Riza, I love you." Roy kissed Riza's forehead and she smiled softly. Calida had been standing outside the doorway, listening to her parent's conversation; she peered into the room and saw her father holding her mom. She smiled when she saw Riza's pleasant expression; it was one of the few times that her mom smiled in such a special way.

"_Only dad…but maybe Javad could be like that?" _Calida shook her head and stepped into the room. "Hey mom, dad, if you're done over there, let's go," Calida said quickly. "I want to be sure to get there before Elric, unless he's already left."

"Yeah, why are you holding us up, Roy?" Riza asked as she playfully slapped Roy's shoulder. "Let's get a move on!" Roy smirked and rolled his eyes as the group left the house.

-NEW SCENE-

Calida, Roy and Riza walked into a building in Liore and found the girl with pink hair. "Rose, has your guard arrived yet?" Calida asked as she took off her helmet. She had been riding one of those new motorcycles that had been invented a few years ago. (A/N: My FMA expert, Moonstardutchess researched and said that she expected the FMA world would have a form of motorcycles.)

"Uh, if you're the guards then I suppose so," Rose said with a shrug.

"No, I mean Javad Elric, has he arrived yet?" Calida moved her hand up near her height and smiled. "He's about this tall, has blond hair that is usually in a braid and probably is wearing a black jacket and grey pants."

"No, I haven't seen him yet." Calida nodded and put her helmet back on.

"I see, well then I'll let my mom and dad take care of you while I go hunt down those who have threatened to assassinate you." Roy and Riza looked at their daughter as she walked out the door, Rose looked at them and smiled.

"How are you today, Fuhrer Mustang?" Rose asked with a sweet voice.

"Eh, I'm not as great as I could be. Also I pity Javad if my daughter finds him."

-NEW SCENE-

Javad stepped off the train and started to walk down the road, he'd have to find where Rose was and guard her. Chances are the assassins would strike by late evening, after that he'd start searching around for his father. He heard a loud noise and looked around, he didn't see anything at all but he could feel a set of eyes on him. He shrugged off the strange feeling and continued walking for ten minutes until he managed to find an empty street. Once more he heard a loud noise and turned around to see someone on a motorcar staring him down. "Who are you?" Javad asked quietly.

"I'm the one that will punish you," The person said from inside the helmet. Javad could faintly recognize the voice but it was too distorted from inside the helmet to recognize it entirely. The person drew their sword and pointed it toward Javad.

"Heh, nice sword."

"You will be punished for your crimes."

"Do you mind telling me what those crimes are?" Javad squinted and took a close look at the person, he noticed the rider was a girl.

"You disgust me, as do all men on the face of this planet."

"What does that mean? What did men, or even I, ever do to you?" She did not respond and quickly sped toward Javad. Javad quickly leapt out of the way and avoided a sword swipe. "Say, are you someone who is trying to assassinate this Rose girl and you happen to know who I am? If so, I'm going to bring you down." Javad smirked as the rider turned and glared at Javad through the helmet. "Hey, maybe after this, I can get your number!"

"You filthy male swine!"

"Okay, bad idea…" Javad quickly turned and ran as the person chased him and slashed at him with her sword. "I don't want to have to do this to you, but if it gets you off that bike…" Javad clasped his hands together and sent a wall from the ground, the rider swerved to avoid it. Javad then sent spikes from the ground, once more the rider swerved to avoid the spikes.

"You can't slow me down, can you keep up withy me, Javad!"

"You know who I am?" Javad's eyes widened as he continued to run, he then smirked and shook his head. "Damn…I didn't see it." He clasped his hands together and a very strong wind blew the rider off her bike and toward Javad.

"Crap!"

"Watch your tongue, it's unbefitting for a lady!" Javad quickly slowed the motorcar down with the wind and caught the rider in his arms. She held her sword down toward the ground and growled. "Let's see if you are who I think you are." Javad carefully placed his hand on the back of the rider's helmet and slipped it off of her head. He soon found himself looking into Calida's eyes. "Hello there, Calida." Calida growled and looked away.

"Put me down."

"Okay." Javad set Calida on her feet and smirked. She started to bring her sword up but Javad stopped it by placing his hand on the blade.

"I thought you'd find a way to come. It's good to see you here, partner."

"Don't call me that, I'm not your partner." Calida sheathed her sword and sighed.

"I suppose being the Fuhrer's daughter is beneficial, you didn't look too bad on that bike by the way." Calida's face grew angry as she turned and started to shout at Javad.

"That reminds me! You continue to flirt around?"

"Well technically it was you."

"Technically you didn't know it was me!"

"Well actually I never told you when I figured out it were you." Calida smirked and crossed her arms.

"So when did you find out it was me?"

"Only when you called out my name." Calida chuckled and turned around to walk off, she stopped and glanced back momentarily.

"Then you flirted without knowing it was me, you are such a sad person." Calida walked to her motorcycle and chuckled.

"Hey, I can stop any time."

"Prove it, you've tried for so long and you still can't stop flirting." Calida lifted her leg over the bike chuckled as she looked to Javad. "You can walk."

"Hey!"

"Don't worry, Rose's place isn't far from here." Javad crossed his arms and sighed as Calida drove off.

* * *

There's the chapter, hope you liked it.


	11. Stopping the Assassins

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: This is a continuation/sequel to Opening the Gate. It's not major that you read that oneshot, since it will be discussed here. However, it's a good idea that you read it before reading this. For those of you that haven't, this is after the movie.

* * *

Chapter 11 (Stopping the Assassins)

"So you don't know where Ed is?" Rose asked with a hint of sadness in her voice. Roy and Riza shook their heads and sat down. "You say that Winry has passed on as well?"

"Yes and because of it, Ed had left the area," Roy said with his arms crossed. He looked over to see Javad walk in.

"Javad Elric reporting to guard…" Javad blinked and looked around. "Hey, I thought Calida was heading this way."

"No, she's probably out hunting down the assassins," Roy stated with a smirk. "Have you seen her lately?"

"Yes, I just had a run in with her."

"And you survived?" Roy raised his eyebrow and Javad smirked.

"Hey, I know how to handle the ladies, but I also know how to handle my best friend. Believe me, I've seen her angry before and I know how to deal with that anger."

"Even when it's directed at you?" Javad tapped his chin for a moment and nodded.

"Oh yeah, even in that case!" Roy sighed and shook his head, at some point of time Javad would have to stop acting so cocky. "So Calida is where?"

"Searching for the assassins…" Javad raised his eyebrow and sighed; he shrugged his shoulders and crossed his arms. Naturally, he didn't want Calida to search by herself, even though she could easily handle herself, he couldn't help it if he wanted to be with her.

"Rose, where is your son by the way?" Riza asked with a smile.

"Oh, he's out doing whatever it is he feels like," Rose stated with a long sigh. "Sean isn't leading the best life he could be."

"What's the problem with Sean?" Javad asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He's just getting involved in the wrong kind of stuff, I've tried to talk to him but he doesn't seem to care about what he does."

"You don't think the assassins are targeting him, do you?"

"Javad, Rose is the one that received the threat," Roy said as Javad started to turn toward the door. "Sean didn't receive a threat at all, he's in the clear."

"Ah yes, but I still feel it's necessary to get Sean over here in the safe area. Since he's probably involved in gangs or something, you'd almost expect that he'd be getting into some kind of trouble. Tell me more about this Sean person, would you?"

"My son is sort of violent now," Rose said quietly. "I guess he's too involved in drugs and alcohol to actually do the right things. He pretty much does whatever he wants out there on the streets." Javad nodded and then turned to leave the building. "Where is he going?"

"Probably to find Sean and get him over here," Roy said with a sigh. "Or find Calida and get her over here."

**-NEW SCENE-**

"Okay, the assassins are supposedly dressed in trench coats," Calida said to herself as she parked the motorcycle and got off. She placed the helmet on the bike and took out a piece of paper. "This note was given to Rose I believe, it is the threat." Calida looked at the note and then at her surroundings, they mentioned the alley that she was at and said they wanted something. _"Okay, I'll draw my sword and get ready to eliminate the gang that has threatened Rose."_

"Whoa, we asked for money but this is even better!" A voice exclaimed. Calida raised her eyebrow and looked over to see five men in a corner.

"Oh just my luck, I get to run into male scum and what do they want? Damn men, they only want one thing." Calida growled and drew her sword. "Okay you people, who's the gang leader threatening Rose?" Calida walked slowly toward the group and all of the men chuckled. "Come on boys; let me know what I want to know." Calida soon found herself pressed against the wall by an unseen force and her wrists held behind her back. "Damn it!"

"We'll tell you what you want to know, but you got to give us something in return," A man stated with a grin.

"Oh gee, I wonder what _that_ would be."

"Hey, I was only trying to mess with my mom's head; I'm not really going to let my gang hurt her. My name is Sean by the way." Calida narrowed her eyes and growled as she felt Sean's breath on the back of her neck.

"You picked the _wrong_ day and the _wrong_ girl to mess with, buddy!" Calida snapped her fingers and blew Sean back with a burst of flames. She turned around and pointed at Sean with a glare. "Men are scum."

"Whoa, relax girl, we could just talk this out!" Calida scowled and ran toward Sean.

"I don't give a damn who you are!" Calida brought her sword down upon Sean and cut him across the chest. "You will be punished!"

"Ah! Get her!" Sean exclaimed as he pressed his back against the wall. One gang member ran up behind Calida but soon found himself tumbling toward the ground, Calida had turned and slashed the boy across the abdomen.

"I'll dash all your hopes of ever having children! This is what you get for messing with me!"

"Relax lady, it was a joke!" One man stated.

"Joke this!" Flames grew from Calida's sword as she slashed at the men. One person was slashed upwards and would have a burn scar going up his entire body. She then brought her sword down and slashed another man across the chest and hit one man through the arm.

"Damn, she hurts!" One of the gangsters exclaimed. Now only Sean and one other gangster remained standing, Sean growled and stepped back.

"Ken, grab her sword!" Sean exclaimed.

"Hah, no man has ever taken my sword from my hand and lived to tell about it!" Calida exclaimed. Sean smirked as ran began to fall from the sky, Calida looked up and cursed as she realized she couldn't use flame. "That's fine, I'm an elemental alchemist…I can just use the other alchemy I have." Ken swiftly kicked Calida in the back and knocked her to the floor.

"I got her down!" Ken exclaimed.

"You bastard, surely you didn't think it'd be that easy." Calida pushed herself up only to be kicked hard in the side. Calida winced and held her side as Ken kicked her again. He then bent over and snatched the sword from Calida's grip.

"I think I'll take this and these too…" Ken took Calida's gloves off her hand and clenched her wrists together behind her back.

"Damn you…" Calida growled as Ken pulled her up, Sean laughed and walked over to her, she glared at Sean as he crossed his arms.

"Well, at least the others aren't dead, but you sure did do some damage to them," Sean stated. "Say, what's your beef with men anyway?" Sean traced the side of Calida's face with his finger, she winced at the touch.

"Maybe we should give her another view of men," Ken said with a smirk.

"Yeah, what do you have in mind?" Ken chuckled and Sean smirked as he wrapped his arm around Calida's waist. She growled once more and glanced to the ground were her glove and sword lay. Sean lowered his lips to Calida's neck as Ken raised one hand up on Calida's body.

"Damn you," Calida said with a growl. _"All men want the same thing, all men are sleazy little dirt bags. All except…"_ Calida thought about Javad and shut her eyes._ "No, he is no different than the men…though I doubt he'd be doing this to me right now. Instead, if he were here he would probably wind up…"_ Suddenly a violent wind tore through the alley. Sean and Ken shouted as they both slammed into a wall, Calida blinked and looked over to see Javad standing in the alley with anger etched all over his face.

"You bastards keep your filthy hands off her!" Javad exclaimed as he transmuted a trident from the ground. Ken screamed as Javad quickly thrust the trident into his chest. "I hope you don't have family, because you won't be seeing them again. You and the rest of this scum will be placed under military arrest!" Javad pulled the trident out and kicked Javad to the ground.

"Hey man, we were just messing around," Sean said quickly. Javad growled and thrust the trident right next to Sean's head.

"No, I didn't miss on accident, the next time I _won't_ miss."

"Javad, that's Sean, Rose's son," Calida said quickly. Javad turned his head and looked to Calida, he looked back at Sean with a grin on his face.

"So I see…and I suppose this gang here was the one that threatened your mother?"

"Well actually it was just a joke," Sean said with a chuckle. Javad slammed a fist into Sean's abdomen and growled.

"You do not play jokes on your mothers like this; don't waste military time by sending guards to protect someone who isn't really in danger and you will keep your hands off of the Fuhrer's daughter!"

"What do you care, man?

"She's also my best friend!" Javad swiftly positioned the trident at Sean's throat and narrowed his eyes. "I guess we're done with this mission, you're lucky you are Rose's kid or else I'd cut you up right now for what you were trying to do with Calida." Calida sighed as she put her gloves back on and sheathed her sword. Javad took a piece of rope from his pocket and tied Sean's hands together. He then turned to look at Calida. "Are you okay, Calida?"

"Yeah, I'm just fine, you…didn't have to do that you know, I could have handled it."

"Oh yeah, who was it that was sandwiched between two guys with her gloves and sword lying on the ground."

"I'm just saying I don't always need a man to protect me!"

"I'm aware of that! The least you could do is say thanks for helping!" Calida crossed her arms and scoffed slightly. She closed her eyes and sighed.

"T-Tha…Thank you, Javad." Javad smirked, at least she tried.

"There it wasn't that hard, now was it?" Calida narrowed her eyes and glared at Javad. "Hey, you don't _have_ to thank me." Javad smiled softly and brought his hands up, he then lowered them to the side and decided against giving a hug to Calida. He sighed and turned to Sean, "Now let's get you to your mother's house and get the military to clean up this mess. Don't worry, your gang, most of them, will live." Javad smirked as Sean rolled his eyes and walked off with Calida and Javad.

* * *

There's the chapter, hope you enjoyed it.


	12. Separation

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: This is a continuation/sequel to Opening the Gate. It's not major that you read that oneshot, since it will be discussed here. However, it's a good idea that you read it before reading this. For those of you that haven't, this is after the movie.

* * *

Chapter 12 (Separation)

Roy and Riza stepped out of the building and looked around, they could see no sign of Javad or Calida, what they did see was an officer running up to them. "Sir, Fuhrer, there's been a sighting!" The officer shouted as he saluted Roy.

"A sighting of what?" Roy asked.

"Edward Elric, sir!" Roy's eyes widened and his jaw hooked.

"What did you see?"

"He had long blond hair and was wearing a red cape…"

"Was he short or tall? Edward Elric is taller now, he's almost my height."

"Yes, he's as tall as you are!" Roy nodded and crossed his arms. The officer continued to speak. "I saw him just at the railroad tracks on the other side of town" Roy nodded and looked at Riza, she quickly put her hand to her gun, signaling that she was ready to go and she was probably going to shoot Edward if she had to.

"I can't stay by myself," Rose said quickly. "Plus I want to see Edward, I'm coming with you!"

"We have no choice," Riza said as she looked to Roy. "We don't know where Calida or Javad are at, and it's too dangerous to leave Rose by herself when her life is being threatened."

"Okay then, we'll have to take her with us." Roy, Riza, Rose and the officer piled into a car and drove toward the railway area. "Once I find Elric, he's toast." Riza rolled her eyes and glanced out a window, her eyes went wide and she quickly tapped Roy's shoulder.

"Roy, isn't that Pride?" Roy raised his eyebrow and saw the previous Fuhrer, King Bradley walking toward the car, he was very confused as to how or why Pride was still living.

"Yeah but it looks like he doesn't have his sword…just…new speed." Pride smirked and quickly grabbed the car in his hands. He held on to the car as the officer continued to step on the gas. Roy and the officer were in the front seat as Riza and Rose were in the back.

"Was he this strong before!" Riza exclaimed as she quickly turned and started to shoot Pride. Then the car started to separate, Rose screamed as the car split in two, Pride swirled around and threw the back half of the car into the distance.

"Riza!" The front half of the car continued to speed forward, Roy swiftly leapt out of the car while grabbing hold of the officer, the front end crashed into a nearby building as Pride stepped next to Roy.

"Hello, Mustang," Pride said with a smirk. "I'm sure you remember me, how do you like being the Fuhrer now?" Roy growled as he slowly stood up.

"It's not bad, I think I'm doing a better job for the country than you ever did for it."

"Yes, and unfortunately I am not too thrilled with that. You're running the country and it's become how you say…peaceful." Roy growled and looked into Pride's eyes, it was almost as if they were pleading for Roy to kill him again. "Ah, I bet you've never killed the same man twice, however, I don't think you'll be killing me this time around." Pride grabbed Roy's shirt and lifted him into the air. "I can throw things pretty damn far, lets see how far I can catapult you…I must say, I enjoy this ability much better than the last." Roy snapped his fingers but it was too late, he found himself being thrust through the air.

"Damn it!" Roy closed his eyes and sighed, he wasn't sure how long he was flying but he didn't enjoy it. He came to a landing in a moving vehicle that had hay in the back of it. After some time, he opened his eyes to see Ed staring at him. "Fullmetal!"

"Hey, you woke up," Ed said with a chuckle. "I wasn't sure if you'd ever wake up, you've been out for about an hour."

"Where am I?"

"On the back of a hay truck going somewhere…Were you in Liore?"

"Yes."

"Well you're not anymore, actually I'm not sure where exactly we're at. So what happened?"

"I was thrown by a damn homunculus, what do you think?"

"Imagine your luck, you actually hit _me_…"

"Fullmetal, once my vision isn't blurry and this throbbing pain all over my body is gone, I am going to burn you to a bloody crisp."

"Why?" Roy glanced at Ed and growled, this was Ed's warning to shut the hell up.

**-NEW SCENE-**

Riza and Rose stayed in the back half of the car as it sailed through the air, they had to hold onto the car so they wouldn't wind up flying out of it. Soon their half landed in a lake, Riza and Rose both swam to the surface and took a deep breath. "Any idea where we are?" Rose asked.

"No, and I don't remember a lake in Liore, do you?" Riza asked as she and Rose began to swim to shore. Rose shook her head as she climbed onto the land, Riza looked around for any familiar sights but did not see any at the current moment

"I'm sure if we walk around, we'll recognize the area. How far do you think we were thrown?"

"I don't know, but we'll find out soon enough." Riza stopped walking and stood very still, a twig seemed to snap from nearby. Riza slowly turned around and saw Bullet nearing her, her eyes went wide when she saw the homunculus. "F-Frank Archer!"

"In the flesh," Bullet said with a smirk. "Well, not really in the flesh, since I'm dead and I'm just a homunculus."

"So, what's your ability?"

"I'm known as the homunculus, Bullet. My ability…To shoot ammunition of any kind out of my body." Bullet looked around and chuckled. "Pride sure threw you pretty damn far. It looks like you're not in Liore anymore, instead you're in some other town that I bet you haven't ever heard of."

"I'm sure you don't mind informing me on what the name of this town is."

"Actually, I do mind. I also would like to kill you if you don't mind." Bullet shifted his hands to point diagonally toward the ground and a large sadistic grin appeared on his face as bumps appeared on his skin.

"Crap!" Riza tackled Rose to the ground as several bullets fired from Bullet's upper body. Riza growled slightly and aimed her gun toward him, Bullet laughed as Riza fired several shots into him.

"Useless, it's all useless!" Bullet smirked and crossed his arms. "You can't kill me that easily."

"There's two ways to kill a homunculus," Riza said as she narrowed her eyes. "One is to kill them as many times as necessary, twenty is usually the number of times needed, and the other way is to find their bones and then destroy them by immobilizing them. So I'll just kill with the amount of lives you have."

"Sorry but that's best done by an alchemist."

"Then why don't I go ahead and find your goddamn bone, I'm sure that would work."

"You would dig around in my grave?" Bullet raised his eyebrow and chuckled. "I'd personally like to see you survive this encounter!"

"Rose, run now, I'll catch up." Rose stiffened and Riza glanced over at her. "What are you waiting for? Get your rear end moving!" Rose nodded and took off.

**-NEW SCENE-**

Vash looked up from his desk and looked to Amara, he slowly stood up and walked over to her. "Hey, I'm done with my work, what about you?"

"I'm still working, sir," Amara said as she typed on the typewriter. "If you're about to ask me out, I have plans, sir."

"Ah…no, I wasn't about to do that actually." Vash sighed and rolled his eyes, he did have his brother's flair for getting shot down before even trying. "So, what are you planning?"

"I'm going to go home tonight and I'm going to bed, sir." Vash stood up straight and sighed.

"Okay then, I'm heading home, be sure to lock up when you're finished here, Neely." Amara nodded as Vash left the office, she sighed and looked over at her coffee mug. She broke it earlier by tripping over something on the ground, she was very accident prone. She glanced around and sighed.

_"No reason why I can't fix it now, nobody will know."_ Amara drew a transmutation circle and placed the mug and handle on top of it, she then placed her hands on the circle and fixed the mug. Once she was done, she started to cough violently and blood spilled on the floor and desk. "Damn…"

"It doesn't feel all that great, does it?" A voice said from the shadows. Amara's eyes widened and she turned to see Hecate and Blaze standing in the room. Hecate looked at Blaze and chuckled. "Why it looks like our little doll is having some issues."

"Well after being forced to do three human transmutations in her lifetime, I'd suspect she'd be in pain," Blaze stated with a smirk.

"What do you freaks want from me?" Amara asked as she slowly stood up. "Haven't I already done what you wanted, won't you leave me alone now?"

"No, we won't leave you alone just yet. You're still of use to us and you will continue to be of great use to us."

"I don't _want_ to do any more."

"Then we kill Vash." Amara's eyes widened and she feel to her knees and started to plead.

"Don't hurt him, please! I love him, you can't hurt him!" Blaze frowned and kicked Amara to the side.

"Do you think I care for your groveling?" Blaze crossed his arms and chuckled. "I really don't."

"Please, I don't know if I can perform another transmutation. I've already given you the previous Fuhrer, that half robot guy and the former Greed, I'm surely going to die if I have to perform another one!"

"Oh well, if you die, you die," Hecate said with a shrug. "Just be lucky, we're only paying you a visit. Actually, I do grow bored of letting that little Colonel of yours live. He's a strong alchemist, I think having him as a homunculus wouldn't be such a bad idea."

"No, leave him alone!"

"How useful is she to us?" Blaze asked. He rubbed his chin and sighed. "She's lost a lung, she's lost some of her lower organs and somehow she managed to get away by losing only a toe."

"She lost the toe when doing Greed and she lost the lung when getting Pride, they were already once homunculi so the cost for them was less," Hecate stated. "I would normally love to see what she'd lose again, but I fear you are right…she's outlived her usefulness." Amara's eyes widened as Blaze grinned demonically.

"Caldor's already working on that one girl, she's a strong alchemist so if she were to be used in order to make an army of homunculi…"

"I would have to inject her with a new fluid to make sure she doesn't lose much of anything, therefore one alchemist can make several beings. However, she is a strong alchemist so…"

"Caldor is working on breaking her spirit, once that happens, she will not be able to fight for herself any longer. However, Elric is the problem, he's keeping her fighting and the longer he's with her, the more she'll begin to get stronger emotionally." Hecate frowned and crossed her arms, she then stared down at Amara who was looking at her with wide eyes.

"Okay Blaze, kill her." Hecate smirked as she slowly left the room.

* * *

Well that was unexpected. I wonder who that other alchemist is that Hecate wants to go after. Stick around for the next chapter.


	13. Caldor Strikes Again

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: This is a continuation/sequel to Opening the Gate. It's not major that you read that oneshot, since it will be discussed here. However, it's a good idea that you read it before reading this. For those of you that haven't, this is after the movie.

* * *

Chapter 13 (Caldor Strikes Again)

Calida and Javad walked into Rose's home and looked around, it was quiet and desolate. "Well it's a good thing we decided to take Sean to the jail and all, but where is everyone?" Javad asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Great, this means I'm stuck with you," Calida stated with a groan. "I guess it could be worse…though I'm not sure how." Calida narrowed her eyes and glanced over at Javad. He chuckled and crossed his arms.

"I could think of a way it could be worse."

"Really, please enlighten me." Javad smirked and walked through the area, a noise was heard from another room so he went to check up on it. He didn't see anything so he turned around and saw Calida standing in the doorway. He raised his eyebrows when she smiled at him.

"Javad, it feels pretty nice being here alone now that I think about it," Calida said in a sultry voice.

"Oh really, well…I don't think it's all that great," Javad stated with a nervous chuckle. Calida stepped forward in a slow and sultry manner, she then got very close to Javad and took her voice to a whisper.

"Don't you feel comfortable? It seems mom and dad are out, Rose is not here either…we can do whatever it is that you want." Javad rubbed the back of his neck and sighed.

"Seriously Calida, why are you acting so strange?" Calida let out a soft moan as she rubbed her back against Javad's chest.

"Come on Javad, take me as yours, please. You're the only man that I can possibly trust, and you've already seen my body." Javad raised his eyebrow and groaned.

"I really would rather not, besides, it wouldn't be right to take advantage of you in the first place. I could bear to do that to y…" Javad let out a sigh and shook his head. "Yeah, nice try buddy...I don't know who the hell you think you are but there is one thing you can never get me to do and that is try to take advantage of Calida when she is vulnerable. I won't fall for your tricks either." Javad placed his hands on Calida's waist and pushed her off of him. "I know you're not Calida, she would never act this way, not to me at least, plus she hates my guts. You seem most like that homunculus I've heard about, the one that shapeshifts."

"Heh, you got that right, but I'm not the same homunculus." Soon the disguise of Calida melted away and Caldor stood with a smirk on his face. "Well at least I know how to get the girl vulnerable. She does have a weakness, all I have to do is exploit that weakness. Her issue, she can't seem to fight without her gloves and sword."

"You can never get them away from her, so therefore, you would never get near her…and if you _did_ get close to her…" Javad's face grew angry and he transmuted a blade from his metal arm. "I would not hesitate to kill you!" Caldor laughed and drew the sword that he had next to him.

"Come on, you're going to fight me with that puny blade?" Javad growled and charged toward Caldor, Caldor brought the sword down onto Javad's arm and smirked. "Can you fight me…" Caldor transformed into Calida and smirked.

"You ask me if I can fight you like that…Do you know how many times I have sparred with Calida?"

"Ah but can you kill her? Can you honestly bear to see her face all covered with blood and screaming in pain?" Javad watched as Caldor made a very hurt look and started to give Javad a pleading look. "Are you really going to hurt me…Javad?" Javad froze and clenched his jaw as he held his blade pointed at Caldor's throat. "Go on and kill me, it's what you want, is it not?"

"He may not do it, but I can!" Calida exclaimed. Caldor looked over in time to see Calida slash him across the chest with her sword. Javad kept himself from wincing and watched as Calida stared Caldor down. She glanced at Javad and smirked. "I would think you could handle fighting a chump that looks like me." Javad rolled his eyes and blushed slightly as Calida sliced down with her sword, her sword clicked with Caldor's.

"I'll take you," Caldor said with a venomous voice. "I may not be allowed to kill you right now but I know some other tricks in the book."

"Why the hell wouldn't you be allowed to kill me?" Calida raised her eyebrow and Caldor chuckled.

"It's just a request from the boss, Hecate. We have to intercept you and I'm going to wind up being the one intercepting you."

"Oh, and how do you plan on doing that?"

"If you trust Elric over there, I'd look out-"

"Like hell I would trust that bastard!" Calida charged toward Caldor, he transformed into Javad and for a split second Calida hesitated. That was all it took, Caldor grabbed her by the neck and slammed her against the wall. Javad started to attack when Caldor put up his hand, but continued staring into Calida's eyes.

"Don't even think about moving, Elric. If you do, I will snap her neck like a twig."

"You just made a _big_ mistake." Calida growled and snapped her fingers. A burst of flame through Caldor off of her, Javad clasped his hands together and a burst of wind slammed Caldor into the wall.

"You hit me with fire even though I took the shape of your friend?"

"Give it a rest! You think I call him my _friend_? What are you insane?" Calida pointed her sword toward Javad while shouting at Caldor. "I can't even begin to trust that man, so don't make the mistake of calling him my friend!" Javad sighed and shook his head as Calida charged toward Caldor and thrust the sword into his chest and into the wall. "I don't know what it will take to rid the world of scum like you, but whatever it takes, I will do it. There is no way in hell you're going to be taking me to meet up with your boss or whatever it is you want to do!" Caldor smirked as Calida turned the sword.

"I like a good challenge."

"Oh put a sock in it!" Calida pulled the sword out and slashed down Caldor's shoulder. "I recommend leaving right now." Calida looked over to see Javad point his trident toward Caldor.

"It'd be a good idea to run," Javad said with a sneer. Caldor laughed and turned around.

"Fine, but don't think this is the last you've seen of me," Caldor stated. He calmly walked away as Calida took a breath of relief and sheathed her sword. She turned to look at Javad and crossed her arms.

"If that homunculus was here, then I think Mom and Dad are probably in some sort of trouble," Calida stated as she started to walk past Javad. She wouldn't be willing to admit that she was a little shaky when it came to fighting Caldor, but he had hurt her mentally and even to a girl like her, that could still be a harsh blow.

"Then perhaps we should go find them, I think that would be best, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah, that's probably the best idea. Now since you cant bear to fight a homunculus that could transform into me, I think it'd be best to tell you to stay as close to me as you can."

"Heh, yeah I'll do that." Calida nodded as she let out a large yawn, she wasn't about to mention the true reason she wanted Javad close to her was in case Caldor showed up again. She had every right to fear Caldor, just as every woman would fear a potential or just flat out rapist, she didn't want to be in that type of danger. Honestly, to her she felt safe with Javad, at least he never tried anything funny with her. She yawned again and climbed onto a bed. "Tired?"

"No Javad, I'm so energetic that I decided lying down in a bed will make me even more energetic and entertaining." Javad chuckled and shook his head.

"Well you get some sleep and I'll just go out in the other room-"

"Eh, stay in here for a little while, I may be bored and it'll be fun to say jokes or whatever…" Javad raised his eyebrow and sat down in a chair.

"Uh, okay then." Calida nodded and rested her hands behind her head as she stared at the ceiling.

"Javad, thanks…"

"Thanks for what?"

"I don't know, I just felt like saying that. I heard what you said back there, about not willing to take advantage of me, that…actually means a lot to me right now. However, that in no way means I'm weak!"

"I never said you were." Javad smirked and Calida rolled onto her side to get some sleep.

* * *

There's the chapter, hope you enjoyed it.


	14. Father Versus Father

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: This is a continuation/sequel to Opening the Gate. It's not major that you read that oneshot, since it will be discussed here. However, it's a good idea that you read it before reading this. For those of you that haven't, this is after the movie.

A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this in, but I had a little writers block with it.

* * *

Chapter 14 (Father Versus Father)

"Okay, so we have no idea where we're at," Roy said quietly as he and Ed sat in the back of the truck. "Fullmetal, do you mind telling me why you left again?"

"What is there to say?" Ed asked with a shrug. He already told Roy that he didn't think there was any reason for him to continue with a son that hated his guts.

"I'm saying this, did your father give up on you just because you didn't like him?"

"That doesn't matter!" Ed crossed his arms and scoffed, Roy sighed and shook his head slowly. "You think I'm hopeless as well, don't you? Why would I really care anyway?"

"It would be a lot more logical if you got up off your crummy ass and tried to be friendly with Javad. As long as you try and act like a father, you'll do just fine."

"Tell me this, did Dante die?"

"Dante…Fullmetal don't change the subject!" Roy clenched his fists and Ed groaned.

"I'm not changing the subject, I'm moving on. If Dante didn't die then that means Javad needs to know about her." Roy rolled his eyes, he wouldn't know if Dante was alive or not and frankly he didn't care a whole lot about it.

"Elric, you make one hell of a crappy father, just like your father before you, you don't know how to raise a kid."

"Oh yeah, I do to know how to raise a kid!"

"Then why haven't you done it? You should have stuck with your son and not left him behind! That was the crappiest thing I've ever seen any person do in their life." Ed looked to the side and shrugged his shoulders, there wasn't much he could do about anything.

"I know what you're trying to say, but there's really no reason…so I see Pride is back."

"Yeah, but he doesn't use his sword, instead he has super strength and no sword."

"That Caldor may have a sword." Ed gripped Roy and tossed him out of the back of the truck, he then jumped off and stood up.

"What the hell are you trying to do!"

"Sorry, I have to be rough sometimes. Now look, I'm looking for the homunculus that Winry would have been turned into. What I'm going to do is to erase the mistake that Javad made. I should have known that Winry was sick, I should have known Javad would probably do the same goddamn stunt that I pulled."

"Yeah, well he did, was there ever any surprise?" Ed shrugged and put his hands in his pockets, he pulled out a small box and sighed.

"I had to dig up her grave, I have her bone with me."

"What…"

"It's either that or try to kill her with as many kills as necessary." Ed knew that his own father had been incapacitated by Sloth before and he knew that he might not fare well against Winry, but he would have to. He did kill a homunculus with the face of his own mother.

"You know that they come back as a human, but with different memories and so forth, yet they remember their acts as homunculi." Ed nodded his head, he had that much figured out. Roy crossed his arms and sighed, he couldn't get Pride's eyes out of his head. Pride looked at him as if he was begging for death, Pride wanted to die, he didn't want to be a homunculus for a second time.

"We'll have to kill Pride several different times," Roy said quietly. "I burned his skull when I fought him."

"Ah, so you melted down his skull, then you're right, we'll just have to kill him about twenty times." Ed crossed his arms and frowned, it was going to be difficult but he knew it had to be done.

"Fullmetal, I'm still upset with you, you do realize that right?"

"So what's it to you, Colonel Bastard?" Roy sneered and lifted his hand up, Ed's eyes widened as Roy snapped his fingers. Ed leapt back in time to avoid being blown up by a blast of flame. "What the hell!"

"One, refer to me as Fuhrer Mustang and two, I'm going to teach you why you should never leave your son."

"I see…" Ed transmuted his blade and chuckled. "So that's it, huh? Well _Fuhrer_ Bastard, if you want to fight, let's fight. I've been meaning to have a rematch with you."

"Whatever you say, Fullmetal." Ed charged toward Roy and slashed at him, Roy leapt back and snapped his fingers. Ed quickly leapt back and avoided a blast of flame.

"Damn!" Roy snapped his fingers with rapid procession and several balls of flames surrounded Ed. "Oh crap!" Ed brought his hands up and leapt back as the flames collided.

"So how rusty is your alchemy after all these years?"

"I haven't used it in what seems like sixteen years, so you tell me." Ed put his hands on the ground and a large fist shot from the ground and fell toward Roy. Roy brought his other hand up and snapped his fingers, sparks shot around the stone like fist and it soon exploded.

"Then you haven't kept up to par with me, I've used my alchemy plenty of times." Ed smirked and stood up slowly.

"I always like a good challenge and after all these years, I sure could use one." Roy narrowed his eyes and snapped his fingers once more, Ed leapt to the side and dodged an explosion. Soon flame pillars started to shoot from the ground, Ed swiftly ran to the side as the pillars followed after him.

"You're quick on your feet, but is it really any good?" Roy snapped his fingers again and Ed stopped running as a flame dragon started coming toward him.

"Crap! Since when could you do that?"

"Trust me, I have been able to do it for years. Dragons are the least of what I can do." Ed sidestepped the fire and looked to the side and saw Roy glaring at him with his hand still raised. "Go ahead and charge, rip the insignia off my glove…" Ed chuckled and crossed his arms in response.

"You take me for an idiot? I remember what happened when I pulled that move before."

"As a matter of fact, Fullmetal, I do take you for an idiot. I take you for an idiot who can't raise a child because he is too cowardly to try."

"What!"

"You are a coward, your cowardice prevents you from bothering to take care of Javad Elric. In your own cowardice you desire to fight someone you know nothing about and risk dying rather than talk to your own son."

"I suppose I couldn't say that you would do the same."

"I have a daughter that I've raised for sixteen years, of course I wouldn't do the same. I'd risk my life for her, not risk my life instead of being her father!" Roy snapped his fingers and Ed ran toward Roy, Ed leapt to avoid a flame blast and managed to hit Roy's arm with his blade.

"I'm not as far off as I used to be, but don't criminalize me!"

"You're no better than one, Fullmetal. I'm going to beat you here and then I'm going to take you with me directly to where your son is and I'm going to sit you both down until you start acting like a goddamn father."

"Look, I'm getting parental advice from Mustang, well it makes sense actually. I only wish to destroy the homunculi there are now without having to have Javad deal with them."

"Up until now we didn't even know there was more than one homunculus out there, we don't even know who's behind them! Most likely this Dante person is long dead."

"Well I wouldn't know and I was going to make sure of that before anything else happened."

"Come with me, we'll all go on this hunt for the homunculi and stop them from destroying Amestris. We can't do this individually."

"Like hell we can't."

"When I fought Pride, I nearly died…what happened when you fought with Envy?"

"I guess you could say I nearly…okay I died."

"Right, and that was just Envy alone."

"Well Dante was there, as well as Gluttony and…a wounded Wrath."

"Did you fight Gluttony offhand?"

"I didn't fight him and I hardly fought Dante, I got into a real big battle with Envy and then he transformed into his true form and I froze up."

"Why the hell did you do that!"

"He looked like Hoenheim. I guess it was just hard for me to kill the man that looked like my own father." Roy's eyes widened for a brief second, he knew Envy couldn't do anymore harm, but there was just something unsettling about the thought of a transforming homunculus.

"Anyway, you're going to come with me."

"I'd rather fight the homunculi on my own."

"Then if you manage to beat me, you can do it alone Fullmetal." Ed smirked and charged toward Roy, Roy leapt to the side and avoided a swipe of the blade. Roy snapped his fingers and Ed was blown back by a burst of flame. Ed coughed and stood up slowly, he charged once more and then found himself blown forward by flame.

"Damn it!" Ed dusted himself off and met Roy's glare. "You're that set on taking me back."

"It'll happen and if I have to burn your legs off to do it, I will. Besides, that boy needs some talk from a father, there are a few things he's going to need and there's no way in hell I'm giving those to him."

"What? He doesn't know about puberty yet?"

"I'm sure he knows about that, Winry probably had to explain it to him. He knows what is going to happen if he winds up hurting Calida again, he is probably going to want a father who will be able to tell him how to properly treat women."

"Are you saying he doesn't know how to treat women?"

"He flirts with every girl he comes across…" Ed blinked and sighed in response. "Trust me, I'm not feeling too fatherly when it comes to Javad, he is your son and you're the one who is going to be the father, whether you want to or not!" Roy snapped his fingers and Ed brought his arms up, a blast of flame hit Ed and knocked him back slightly. Ed growled and charged toward Roy, Roy punched Ed in the face and grabbed his shirt.

"It's not that I don't want to raise him…"

"Get over your cowardice, Fullmetal." Roy slammed Ed into a wall and snapped his fingers repeatedly, several balls of flame surrounded Ed and Roy held his fingers in snap mode. Ed's eyes widened and his heart beat a little faster.

"Would you actually…" Roy narrowed his eyes and Ed sighed as he pressed his back against the wall. "Fine then, you win. I tell you this, Bastard Colonel-"

"Fuhrer…"

"Bastard Fuhrer, I _will_ be stronger than you eventually." Roy shrugged and the flames dispersed, he placed his hands in his pocket and kept his eyes on Ed.

"Try to run and you're in trouble."

"Ah shut up, I'm not going to run away."

"Good, because I have no clue where we are at exactly, I'm going to need a bodyguard since I _am_ the Fuhrer." Roy smirked and Ed sighed, he couldn't believe that Roy seriously didn't change that much in the many years he'd been away.

"You honestly didn't change much."

"Neither did you, anyway we should figure out where we're at and get the hell out of here." Roy started to walk off and Ed followed after him, Roy stopped walking and turned his head slightly to glance at Ed. "I just thought of another reason Javad will need you around."

"Why?"

"To keep me from grilling him, even if he did get drunk and had sex with Calida…even if she's not pregnant, he still left her."

"So you're pretty much mad at him?"

"I'm the father of a sixteen year old girl who had a scare and the guy that had sex with her left her after doing the deed. Yes, I'm mad at Javad and I'm tempted to fry him."

"I see, well that's fine. I wouldn't recommend staying mad at him though…"

"No, I will have to, besides the point, Calida seems to like him and he seems to be staying loyal to her now that he is back."

"Yeah, well we should probably discuss how to take down the homunculi that we know about."

"My thoughts exactly."

* * *

I hope you enjoyed the chapter, remember that I will never forget a story. Drop a review and stick around!


	15. Lust Finds Riza

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: This is a continuation/sequel to Opening the Gate. It's not major that you read that oneshot, since it will be discussed here. However, it's a good idea that you read it before reading this. For those of you that haven't, this is after the movie.

* * *

Chapter 15 (Lust finds Riza)

Riza and Rose walked through the area they were at, they figured they couldn't be too far from where Liore was, but they still had no clue where they were. "You could have died back there," Rose said with a worried voice.

"I have a lot of experience, don't worry about me," Riza stated. Rose shrugged and looked around, she still couldn't figure out where she was, she should have been able to figure it out though. "We need to find Calida and Javad; we need to find them fast."

"So you are worried about them then?"

"Of course I am, Calida is my daughter, and I worry about her constantly." Rose nodded and Riza let out a smile. "They love each other, Calida and Javad; it's not hard to see."

"Odd, I don't see it."

"I guess it's just the fact that Calida's my own daughter, I can see a lot of things. She won't admit it, but she cares for him no matter how stubborn he is. He flirts all the time but I can tell through his eyes that he really cares for Calida more than anyone else, he probably enjoys having her as a fighting companion." Rose couldn't argue with that possibility, she didn't see or know much about them, but what she did see of them told her there was always a possibility of something being there.

"Well, where will we go? We're definitely nowhere near civilization it seems." Riza nodded in response, she was having a hard time dealing with the fact that she was just tossed a number of miles by Pride. The Pride she remembered actually had a sword that he used, well he didn't have one now because that sword belonged to Roy. "So, your daughter uses a sword, how did she get the skills?"

"From her father, she likes to train with her father quite often. I was actually surprised to find that he actually had some good knowledge and experience in dealing with swords." It was true, after the fight with Pride; Roy took up the sword and seemed to use it with great skill.

"It'd be nice to see her with the sword; does she use her alchemy often?"

"She's an elemental alchemist but she uses her flame more since she's already mastered that, plus the sword is flame compatible. She uses the sword more often than her alchemy, Roy and I would like for her to try and master the other elements, but she hasn't done anything with them. She's too self conscious and doesn't seem to think she can build up her strength in that."

"I bet if she tried, she'd be really good at them." Riza nodded and bent over to pick up a rock, she looked at it and raised her eyebrow. "It looks like a rock you'd find near a desert," Rose said while looking at it. "So we'd be near a desert area, I'd imagine Liore is within our sights."

"Yeah, well how far can you see?"

"I have no clue." Riza raised her eyebrow and sighed, she'd have to use everything she could to find out where they were. The direction they were walking would take them either away from Liore or to Liore, and if they were going away from Liore, they could be walking in a desert area where they could possibly die. She knew that Rose was getting fearful, so she just needed to keep her calm and then Rose would in turn stay calm.

"So, are you lost?" A voice asked. Riza and Rose stopped walking and turned around, they saw Lust standing before them with a scowl on her face. "Pity you should show up here. Pity you should have to run into me while trying to find your way back home."

"We have no time for this," Riza said as she gripped the handle of her gun. "It'd be best for you to leave now." Lust grinned and crossed her arms.

"How about no, I would much rather kill you and not let you find your way back. Sorry, but its Hecate's orders."

"Okay…who is Hecate?"

"The daughter of Dante and the one who has created a new troupe of homunculi and brought back three of the original ones…She wants your daughter."

"What!"

"She thinks she can use your daughter to perform human transmutations without letting Calida lose any major organs, she could create an army of them and wipe out the country of Amestris."

"I guess she can't use a philosopher's stone to do it."

"That's correct, she can't possibly do that, Elric destroyed the stone."

"So why does she want my daughter?" Lust shrugged and glanced to the side.

"I'm guessing Calida Mustang is one of the strongest alchemists around and the container that Hecate has, the potion inside it is really only compatible with elemental alchemists. There are not that many elemental alchemists around _and_ she's the closest to one of the Elrics."

"Your point with that is what?"

"Dante was killed by Edward Elric, therefore taking Calida would be revenge against his son, Javad…that is to say, if Javad cares about her at all."

"Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't." Lust shrugged and lifted her hand in the air and stared at the palm of her hand with a frown. Riza noticed something in Lust's eyes, it was faint but still evident, Lust wanted to die. "Are all the homunculi like you?"

"What?" Lust lowered her hand slightly and looked at Riza with a raised eyebrow. "What do you mean by that? Are they like me?"

"Simply that, do they all want to die?"

"Heh, who says I want to die?"

"The eye is famous for giving away ones deepest secrets and thoughts. You want to die, that is what it is telling me." Lust smirked and closed her fist.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. Though none of the new homunculi want to die, they are the most loyal to Hecate."

"If Hecate wants revenge for her mother's death, why does she not go after Javad Elric or Edward Elric for that matter?"

"Edward Elric is back?" Lust's eyes grew wide and Riza nodded her head. "Crap…what of his brother?"

"Alphonse Elric is still beyond the gate. There is no chance of him returning."

"I see…Well if Hecate went directly for Javad, Calida would probably not be as easy as she would in the other way."

"Are you saying my daughter is _easy_?" Riza narrowed her eyes and lifted her gun, Lust rolled her eyes and sighed.

"No, your daughter is pretty much difficult to get to. That is why Hecate is trying to attack her mentally and emotionally, she has Caldor doing that and she's letting Caldor go about it however he wants."

"So she doesn't know what Caldor is up to?"

"Not entirely…"

"Did you know that bastard raped my daughter?" Lust's eyes widened for a brief moment and her jaw tightened.

"I can't do anything about that, I don't really care anyway. If that's how Caldor and Hecate wish to break her spirit then that's what they'll do. I think they want to break her spirit first, if they do that then she's more apt to not fight back."

"Like hell they'll lay hands on my daughter!" Riza fired off a gunshot and Lust quickly leapt to the side.

"Hey! Okay, so you want to fight, then I'll kill you now." Lust elongated her nails and slashed at Riza; Riza leapt back and avoided another swipe by Lust. Rose quickly ran behind a large rock and hid as Riza fired off another shot and hit Lust in the head. "Not a bad shot, but it does nothing to me." Lust shot a nail out and cut Riza's arm.

"Ah!"

"Look, I'm not all that interested in fighting right now. I _could_ be tempted to point you in the direction of Liore though."

"Heh and we'd take your advice, why?" Riza pointed her gun toward Lust and the homunculus shrugged.

"It's up to you to take my word, all I can say is Liore is just north of here, straight behind you." Lust shot a nail out and it flew past Riza's head. "That direction, but like I said, it's up to you if you want to follow my advice or not."

"Why would you bother to help us?" Riza's eyes narrowed and Lust shrugged as she turned around.

"Maybe, just maybe I'm not in a killing type mood right now. Other than Wrath, I guess you could just say that I'm the one who could turn around. I miss being human, I remembered my life as a homunculus…" Lust looked down toward the ground and sighed. "I remember everything from Scar dying to Wrath killing me. I remember wandering around in a black space for a short while until waking up in a bed and learning that I was human. I had no idea how it had happened, but I was willing to go with it and live a life as a human. You don't know how happy I was for that! I'm sure Pride and Greed felt the same, but then…" Lust brought her hands up slightly and looked at her open palms, she closed them and scowled. "Then I became this again, and I knew without asking that Hecate was the child of Dante. I knew what I was, I can't say that I was happy about it, but that's just me…"

"Lust, you…" Lust lifted her head up and looked into the air; she spotted a bird that was flying free in the air, flying up toward the heavens above.

"Just once…can't my soul find the peace it so rightly deserves? If Scar or the boyfriend of my first human self had been around, they could have convinced me that I was that person and that those tidbits were just dreams of things that I always thought were false. Those memories, I remember having them but they left me after the first two days and were replaced by new memories. Those were the memories that made sense."

"Huh?"

"You tell Elric this, if he wants Winry to be Winry when they kill her homunculus, it's best that one of the Elrics defeats her…she is the new Sloth. If one of the Elrics defeat her and they stay with her for about three hours and talk to her, there is a strong chance that her human will be known as Winry Rockbell and not a different human. By different human, I mean Juliet Douglass, King Bradley, Greed and even myself. Those two actually had their alias names as their human forms and memories because they were associated with real people. Yes, King Bradley was a real person, though not military."

"So what happened to the real King Bradley?"

"He died when Pride died, when he died, Pride was given his memories. When Sloth died, she was given the memories of Juliet Douglass. Would you believe that Juliet and Bradley knew each other, they met once before. That right there is irony, I think…I had the memories of a random woman who died, and Greed acquired the memories of a biker leader. We all remembered our lives as homunculi and we all hated them."

"So now that you are one…you want to die again?"

"If we die a second time as homunculi, our souls will finally be free…we won't be human again, we will just go wherever it is people go when they die. I know Greed will try to find Edward Elric, just as Pride seeks out Roy."

"Why?"

"They defeated our homunculus forms once before, maybe they could do it a second time. I have already said far too much…From now on; when we meet, I will fight you and so will the others. We won't care if we kill you, which will just be our great goal. I'm letting you off easy today!" Lust then broke off in a run and Riza looked over at Rose.

"Uh…maybe we should go now?" Rose asked as she stood up from the rock area.

"Yeah, if she's right then Liore will be in that direction." Rose nodded and the two women started walking in the direction that Lust pointed them in.

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Hmm, a lot of explaining in this chapter, so Lust, Greed and Pride all are still evil but not enjoying their second time as a homunculus. Well, I hope you enjoyed that chapter, drop a review.


	16. Tears and Rain

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: This is a continuation/sequel to Opening the Gate. It's not major that you read that oneshot, since it will be discussed here. However, it's a good idea that you read it before reading this. For those of you that haven't, this is after the movie.

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Chapter 16 (Tears and Rain)

Javad lay in one bed, his hands behind his head and his eyes gazing at the ceiling above. He wondered what he was going to do about Calida, he loved her, but because of his stupidity and ignorance, he left her behind and broke her trust. Not only that, it seemed that whatever hope remained of him ever regaining her trust may have been blown thanks to Caldor's relentless attempt to cause harm to her. Javad was a flirt as well, he knew she didn't like that, but it was a habit that he was used to. He would change.

Calida lay on the bottom bunk, she was tired and didn't have much energy left in her. She stared at the sheath that held her sword, it lay in the bed next to her, she usually slept with it either in or under the bed. "We have to go look for mom and dad sometime," Calida said from her bed. Javad didn't move from his position, but he did respond.

"Do you want to go look for them right now?" Javad asked with slight concern in his voice. Calida sounded too tired to be able to do anything, so naturally he was concerned and would have wanted her to get some rest. "We can go look for them if you're really concerned and want to go find them." It was then that Javad got up and leapt out of his bed, he looked at Calida and let out a smile. "Come on Calida; let's go find your parents." Calida turned over onto her side, she wanted to, but she also figured she'd give Javad a hard time, even though it wasn't really necessary.

"I'm too tired, Javad!" Javad once more asked her to get up, but it was in a firmer tone. She grumbled and narrowed her eyes as she got up from the bed; she pulled the sheets up to the pillow and turned around toward Javad. "What was with that firm tone? Do you think you're going to boss me around now, Javad?" Calida smirked and crossed her arms. "That would be wrong, because you don't boss me around, I boss you around." Javad's lips grew flat and he slowly shook his head.

"There's nothing in the rule books that say you have to listen to me." Calida raised her eyebrow and Javad started to walk away, she shrugged her shoulders and followed him out of the room. "Okay Calida, it's been a few hours and we have no idea where anybody would be. All we know, is they're probably somewhere in Liore, now where to start looking?"

"I don't know, you tell me." Calida glanced around the room, fully waking up. She let her thoughts trail to Caldor and what he had done to her once, she disliked him. No, the term was too soft, she hated him, she hated him for even living. Calida growled and swung her sword through the air, fire shot out and burnt an insect that was crawling along the ground. Javad had jumped out of the way in time to narrowly miss getting burnt. "Sorry about that, Javad…" The insect was not so lucky; the tiny bug would never walk again. Calida started to walk away, but stopped as he spoke to her.

"Don't be sorry, I know what you're going through." Calida raised her eyebrow and narrowed her eyes as Javad merely smiled at her. "It's hard on the both of us, I know that much." She scowled at him, she was sure he didn't know anything at all about her or what was going on, even if they had known each other for as long as they had. "Calida, I know you don't like me anymore, and you don't trust me, either…just remember that no matter what happens, I will be here for you, regardless."

"What if…what if I don't want you here with me, Javad?" Calida crossed her arms and glanced toward the ground, Javad smiled and started to hug her, but he stopped. He stopped because he knew that she would protest, but even though her fiery personality that he loved was blocked by the icy demeanor that Caldor and even he had helped put up, the icy Calida would still appreciate a hug. Javad then wrapped his arms around Calida and pulled her into a friendly hug, she let out a gasp and blushed lightly. "What are you doing, Javad? Why the hell are you touching me, and you better have a damn good reason for doing so." Javad held his grip.

"I wanted to give you a hug, look Calida, if you don't want me here by your side, just say so and I'll go." Calida blinked as Javad looked Calida in the eyes, his face as serious as ever, there were few times in her life that she could remember him with such a serious face. "Just say the word and I will never speak to you again, if you hate me that much that you don't want me to be in your life again, then say the word and I'll be removed from your life. Is that okay?" Calida gazed into his eyes, she could feel something inside of her, something that was trying to be let out and warm her up. She searched inside of her to find you what that feeling was, but it was her heart, it was beating hard and Calida felt herself longing for something. Her eyes trailed to Javad's lips and her heart started to pound, that was what she longed for, but she couldn't do that, she refused.

"Let go of me, Javad." Javad nodded and released Calida, she dusted off her clothes and turned around. "I never said I didn't want you around, I just want you to know that I can handle myself just fine whether you're here or not. However, if you're not here, I'll grow bored without having anyone to cut up or burn with my sword." Javad chuckled and shrugged, that was an acceptable response. Calida closed her eyes and let out a rough sigh, she didn't want to admit that even she was scared of something, she was frightened of Caldor returning for her and not knowing what to do.

She didn't want him to come back, she didn't want Javad to leave her alone, if she was left alone, Caldor could easily cause her more harm. That was what he wanted though, he wanted to get her mental stability down, so that he could use her for something. She was sure that it was just a bunch of sick games, but then at the same time, she thought there was something more to it. Her body began to shake as she remembered the events of her rape, she was starting to have a flashback. (A/N: Flashbacks occur with every rape victim, when this happens, it is best to remain calm. Take their hand and talk to them in a gentle voice, let them know that it's okay and the person they're thinking of is not there. Let them become aware of their surroundings, because that is one thing they are not aware of.)

Javad watched as Calida's body shook, he grew concerned as she held her arms. "Get away from me," Calida muttered. "Get away from me!" Javad raised his eyebrow as Calida let out a frustrated scream. "Get your hands off of me, someone help!" Javad's eyes widened considerably, he knew what was happening to Calida, and he hated Caldor for doing this to her. He quickly rushed to her side and took her hand in his. "Stop touching me!" Javad calmly massaged her hand with his thumbs, trying to soothe her and make her relax.

"Calida, it's just me, Javad, you're safe right now. Caldor isn't here, open your eyes, look at your feet, you're safe and he can't get to you." He saw something wet on Calida's face, instantly he knew that those were tears belonging to Calida, those tears pulled at his heart. He hated Caldor more and more, he despised the man for putting those tears onto her. Calida's tears had always been something he hated to see, her tears always meant something bad, since she was tough and rarely ever cried. He hated himself for making her cry when he left her behind, that was something that he would never get rid of, the thought of her crying at nights because of his stupidity and selfish act. Now she was crying because of something that was out of his control, and once more, he hated that. "It's going to be okay, just open your eyes and look around, Caldor is nowhere near this area. He can not and will not hurt you, and furthermore, I won't allow him to hurt you, not again."

Calida slowly opened her eyes, her tears staining her face, she looked around and her body continued to shake. "J-Javad…" Javad pulled her into a hug and held her close to him, hoping that it would do some good for her. She closed her eyes and let out a choked sob once more, Javad slowly rubbed her back. "Don't go, Javad, don't leave me behind."

"Never again, I refuse to leave you behind. I'm not going to be the man foolish enough to do that, and there's no way I'm going to let Caldor hurt you either. I won't allow him to lay a finger on you, Calida, I will not let him make you cry again." He was afraid to make her cry, she wondered about that and remembered Winry telling her that Javad was much like his father. His father hated to see people cry, especially herself.

"Thank you Javad…" Normally she would have just pushed him back and brushed herself off, but it wasn't like a mere scrape on the knee when they were children, so she couldn't bring herself to do that. Though she didn't want to admit to it, she was starting to slowly trust him again, it was a scary though almost. "Javad, not that it means anything at all, but could you just hold me?" Javad smiled at her and nodded his head, he would stay like this with her for however long she wanted him to. She closed her eyes and once more let a tear fall from her eyes, there was nothing she could do about it. "Javad, I think it's raining…"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, there is definitely rain."

"Then yes, it's raining." Javad closed his eyes and let out a sigh, he did not falter from his spot. _"Maybe one day, I'll help clear that rain away."_

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There's the chapter, I hope you liked it, and leave a review! I will be working on the next chapter soon.


	17. What it takes

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: This is a continuation/sequel to Opening the Gate. It's not major that you read that oneshot, since it will be discussed here. However, it's a good idea that you read it before reading this. For those of you that haven't, this is after the movie.

* * *

Chapter 17 (What it takes)

Roy and Ed walked through the desert, it was hot and Ed seemed to be growing tired with each step. "I knew I should have brought water along with me," Ed said quietly. Roy raised his eyebrow and glanced over at Ed, he smirked and crossed his arms, Ed raised his eyebrow when he spotted Roy.

"You decide to be like your father and run away, yet you don't take any necessary provisions with you, for shame, Fullmetal," Roy stated with a small chuckle. Ed narrowed his eyes and glanced over at Roy, he didn't really have much of a comeback that he could think of. "So Fullmetal, what do you think of your son and daughter anyway?" Ed narrowed his eyes then.

"I thought we already had this discussion, and I only have a son." Ed crossed his arms and sighed; he slowly shook his head and closed his eyes. "But that little girl is an angel; do you think she would accept me as her father?" Roy rubbed his chin and smiled; he then closed his eyes and spoke.

"From what Calida had told me about Javad and his sister, Megan, she looks up to him on everything. You know, whatever Javad says or does, she usually agrees with, since she loves her older brother so much." Ed blinked and looked to the ground, he was unsure of whether that was good or bad. Javad pretty much hated him, like he hated his father before, that meant if Megan followed Javad's word, she would hate him as well. Roy saw the upset look on Ed's face; he closed his eyes and let out a sigh.

"I'm sure it will be better than you think it's going to be, she's already met you and she seemed to like you, but then you left." Ed chuckled and glanced to the side, he knew no matter what he did, Roy was going to be taking him back anyway. "I don't know everything that's going on, but I do know that if you give them time, they will grow to love you. Did you not eventually start to respect your father, Ed?"

"Yeah, I guess I started respecting him, but it wasn't like I could very well deal with anyone else once I was on the other side of that gate." Ed crossed his arms and let out a sigh, he had no clue what he was going to do with Javad anyway. "You're right, Roy, I don't even know how to be a father." Roy raised his eyebrow and slowly shook his head, Ed glanced to the side and Roy patted his shoulder.

"Any idiotic man can be a father, Fullmetal." Ed narrowed his eyes and glanced at Roy, Roy shook his head and smirked. "Yes, I know what you mean, but trust me, if you want to try to be a father, you don't even have to. You're already a _father_. However, if you want to be a _dad_, that's a different story. A dad is faithful, he's always there for his children no matter what, and he's trustworthy and honoring. He loves his children all the time, no matter what and will forgive his child for the mistakes, then try to teach his children to learn from the mistake. He's righteous and supportive of the children as well."

"Do you think I have what it takes? I mean…I don't know if I do or not, do you think I do?"

"You seem to want to, if you have a strong desire to be there for Javad and Megan and take care of them, they will see that and they will return your actions. If you love them, they will love you back. It doesn't take much to be a dad. Here's something of a poem from Joan Clifton Costner (A/N: A real person, I don't own the poem.). Hearing the first lusty cry of your babe, sharing in caring for the life that you made, tending to kissing the bruises and aches-some of what a father takes. Working each day to provide for your own, zooing when you'd really rather be home, helping each child face the world of today, showing the wisdom of God's way. Standing and loving when they've broken rules, lifting when they've learned from life's hardest school, saying 'Goodbye," when they've got to go, feeling your heart break but knowing it's so. Talking long distance when you'd rather be fishing with them again, watching them stand alone-so straight and true, seeing that now they have no need of you-Stepping aside, making room for one more as they bring home the mates they adore. Joy and then sorrow, the pain and the aches-some of what being a father takes."

"So you're sure I actually have what it takes, I mean these things, they seem like things I could do…"

"You want to, don't you?" Ed stopped walking and looked toward the ground, with all his heart he wanted to be a good dad for his children, but he was still scared. "It takes anybody to be a father, but a man to be a dad. A father is the man that gives birth to you, that man may or may not be married to your mother."

"Yeah, so Javad would only see me as a father, but when does a father cross over to being a dad?"

"It is when he earns the _right_ to be called 'dad' and nothing else." Ed tilted his head to the side, he knew at one point of time he had actually started calling Hoenheim his dad, and he wondered what it would be like for Javad to actually call him 'dad' and like him more. "Javad was pretty upset when you left the other day, and Megan wasn't very thrilled either, she was actually excited to have a dad there. She never knew a man as her dad, she had a father though, that bastard is somewhere, we don't know."

"The bastard that raped Winry…How dare he touch her, what makes it right for a man to rape a woman? What makes it right for a man to tear down the life and walls of a harmless and defenseless woman?"

"I don't know…There isn't any."

"So…a dad is someone who will be there for the child?" Roy nodded and crossed his arms.

"A dad spends time with his children, he has to earn the right to be heard, he disciplines with love, he's a role model and a teacher, he will always be there with the family, he must show affection, he must respect the mother and must realize that a dad's job is never fun."

"Heh, I would respect Winry, I loved her with all my heart. I don't care how hard it is, I'm going to try and care for them…"

"That would be a good idea, they need you, I'm sure Pinako is getting far too old to take care of them. Just remember that you just need to spend time with your children, if you always seem too busy for them, they will feel neglected no matter what you say. Treasuring children often means sacrificing other things."

"Not like my arm, right?" Roy chuckled and shook his head.

"It's essential to spend time with your children, kids grow up so quickly and missed opportunities are lost forever…You missed the chance to talk to Javad about puberty, in fact I'm surprised that Winry was able to do that."

"You didn't?"

"She kept Javad a secret, remember? She never told us he was alive, only Calida knew who he was. You know, it's all to often that a father will speak to his children only when they've done something wrong, that's why a lot of children cringe when their mom says that the father wants to speak with them. I would say take time to listen to their ideas and problems."

"Yeah…"

"Remember that all children need guidance and discipline, not as punishment, but to set reasonable limits. Remind them of the consequences of their actions and provide meaningful rewards for desirable behaviors, Fathers who discipline in a calm and fair manner show love for their children are definitely good."

"So I shouldn't be harsh about Javad's transmutation?"

"He performed a human transmutation and probably doesn't know a lot about what's going to happen, chances are you can use your own personal experience to offer some advice for him." Ed thought of his own mother and let out a sigh, it was obvious that he would have to talk to Javad about that. He nodded and crossed his arms; he figured maybe Javad would be a step closer to talking to him if he knew that he shared that common bond.

"Children, they need security that comes from knowing they are wanted, accepted and loved by their family. Parents, especially fathers, need to feel both comfortable in willing to hug their children. Showing affection every day is the best way to let your children know that you love them."

"Yeah…but it seems like it could be hard now, I mean Javad does hate me and all."

"Then maybe the first time, you would have to be firm, don't be too firm and don't be too soft. You have to show him that you care but at the same time, let him know that you are his father. Don't be afraid of him, Fullmetal, he's _your_ son and he's pretty close to being just like his father." Ed chuckled nervously and crossed his arms, he hoped Javad wasn't too stubborn in that case.

"You must be a good dad to Calida; I assume you two have a pretty comfortable relationship. I don't know if I'll ever have a relationship with my children like you do with your daughter."

"Sure you will, Fullmetal, like I said, these things take time. Within time, Javad will grow to trust you and you both will have a great relationship. One day, you're going to thank me for forcing you to come back with me." Ed scoffed and rolled his eyes, Roy smirked at him and glanced over. Both men stopped walking and stared at the left, they saw someone standing in the distance, staring them down.

"Hey, that person looks familiar." Ed narrowed his eyes and then his eyes widened; he looked over at Roy and then back. "That man is _Greed!_ He's supposed to be dead, I know, I killed him! He was the first person I ever killed!"

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Well Roy gave some good advice, and it looks like Greed has shown up, I wonder what will happen. Stick around for the next chapter, and drop a review.


	18. What Greed Wants

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: This is a continuation/sequel to Opening the Gate. It's not major that you read that oneshot, since it will be discussed here. However, it's a good idea that you read it before reading this. For those of you that haven't, this is after the movie.

* * *

Chapter 18 (What Greed Wants)

"Greed, what are you doing here?" Ed asked with narrow eyes, Greed chuckled and held his arms out to the sides as he stepped closer.

"Why is that any way to greet an old friend?" Greed asked with a smirk. "After all these years, I'm amazed that you actually remember my name!" Ed growled and clenched his fists, Greed crossed his arms and sighed. "Look pal, you defeated me first, maybe we could have a rematch, I would like that." Greed tilted his head to the side and looked at Ed; he figured that maybe Ed would be able to kill him for good this time, that's all he wanted.

"I don't really feel like fighting, but are you a threat; I mean what are you doing anyway other than probably drinking out of wine bottles? There's no philosopher's stone, which means there's nothing you can use to gain immortal life, so why should I bother with you?"

"What if I told you we weren't seeking a way to use a philosopher's stone for immortal life?" Greed smirked and Ed raised his eyebrow. "That's right, we don't care for that, we don't want to be human…well I can't be human again anyway. If I were to die a second time, I would be done for good, whether sent to heaven or hell. Chances are, I'd be sent to hell, but really, can hell be that worse than this? Either way, we don't want immortal life."

"Then what _do_ you want?" Ed narrowed his eyes and Greed crossed his arms, he sighed and slowly shook his head. "Well Greed, what is it that you want?" Greed tapped his arm and walked around Roy and Ed; he frowned and looked up into the sky.

_"Release…freedom…"_ Greed scoffed and glanced toward Ed, Ed and Roy saw a flash of longing in his eyes, longing for death. Yet that quickly changed to something else, it changed to anger, rage and a mix of emotions. "Hecate, the daughter of Dante wants a new guinea pig. She's invented some kind of solution to make it cost a hell of a lot less to commit human transmutations, in theory, an alchemist could commit this act maybe thirty times before dying for good. She wants revenge; she wants to use a very powerful alchemist to create an army of homunculi…"

"What?" Ed and Roy stared at Greed with wide eyes, Greed rolled his eyes and slowly shook his head. Both Ed and Roy were trying to think of what Hecate would use an army for, but they could not fathom anything other than extreme bloodshed. "She wants the destruction of…"

"Amestris, she wants to destroy Amestris. She wants to destroy everything in Amestris and turn it into a bloody heap on the map, that's what she wants to do! Though she needs an alchemist stronger than the normal, average alchemist in order to successfully create an army large enough to do this…She needs an alchemist that has powers to mix with this solution in a way that they only lose bit by bit. In turn, they should create about one to two hundred homunculi, and that's stronger than Amestris's entire military put together."

"W-Where would she find such an alchemist powerful enough?" Greed chuckled and shrugged his shoulders, he knew who Hecate's target was, they all did. Hecate's target was actually two children, the children of the two strongest alchemists in Amestris.

"Well, there's one that she wants to use as a slave but really she actually wants to kill him. Either way, she wants this one more so out of revenge for the one responsible for her mother's plan actually going down the drain. There's no other way to get back at him than to crush the one he cares about the most, and I think Caldor's attacking her mentally, you know?"

"What?" Ed narrowed his eyes and glanced to the side in thought, his eyes slowly widened as he started to figure out what Greed was telling him. "She wants to kill Javad, doesn't she?"

"Oh, I think you're starting to catch on now, Fullmetal Alchemist. She wants to kill Javad, but that's if he doesn't cooperate, but chances are that he will after he sees what's going to happen to her second target and the one that will be her new guinea pig." Ed raised his eyebrow and Roy clenched his fists.

"You will do nothing to my daughter!" Roy shouted in anger. Greed chuckled and held his hands out to the side as he shrugged; he slowly shook his head and crossed his arms over while Roy scowled. "What is this Hecate person planning to do to Calida?"

"Well let's see, she's one of the stronger alchemists around, she would probably be the strongest if she could completely master her Air, Earth, and Water alchemy as she has her Fire…Blue flames, now that's pretty damn hot if you ask me. Of course, Hecate wants to wear down Calida's mentality, and she's using her key homunculus, Caldor to do so."

"What!" Roy's fists were clenched tighter than they ever were before and anger was shooting through his body, Ed narrowed his eyes and let out a growl, realizing what was at stake but at the same time not realizing what Greed was talking about.

"I don't really understand," Ed said quietly. Roy glanced at Ed through the corner of his eyes, Ed didn't know that Calida had been raped once by Caldor, and that Javad was going to have to earn her trust again.

"That bastard, Caldor raped my daughter, Fullmetal." Ed's eyes shot open and Roy glanced back at Greed; Ed clenched his fists and figured that now he had to get back to his son.

_"I can probably help Javad out a lot; he needs to know some things that may help him out…"_

"Caldor seems like he's got a familiar ability to me," Greed stated while rubbing his chin. "Not only does Pride no longer have a sword, it belongs to Caldor now…but it seems Caldor has an ability reminiscent of that of Envy's ability."

"Envy, tell me Envy isn't here!"

"Oh don't worry, he's not. I wonder if you know about a homunculus, a true homunculus. When a person dies and is transmuted the first time, they are a homunculus, when that homunculus dies, they are awakened in human form only mere hours after their death. Remember Pride, Mustang?" Roy nodded and Greed chuckled. "Mere hours after you left, his puddle turned into a human form, he gained the memories of the human King Bradley, possibly the previous owner of that home. Lust gained the memories of who she had been, I think…Sloth gained the memories of Juliet Douglass, and I had the memories of a Biker. Then Hecate killed us, each of us, just to further her homunculi army and have the homunculi that were originally there…well, we homunculi can die a second time and not come back, kill me again and I will never return to this earth as human or homunculi again. However as for a homunculi that's been transmuted…" Greed sighed and a smirk formed on his lips. "They are gone for good, so Wrath, Gluttony, and I guess even Envy are all gone forever."

"Oh…" Ed thought about the death of Winry and that Javad had transmuted her, he wondered if it would have been possible for Winry to come back with all of her memories. "Can she…I mean Winry…return with her memories?"

"Well maybe if you or your son, or even both are there when she reforms, then she'll have all her memories attached. Of course, she will remember everything that she did as a homunculus as well, don't forget that. It's just the cost of a homunculus, they have to remember such things that could depress them…that's how we all knew that Dante had deceived us, and that's why we didn't care for Hecate when we saw that she brought us back." Greed stepped toward Ed and narrowed his eyes.

"What do you think you're doing?" Ed transmuted his blade and growled, Greed's eyes seemed to gleam as he swiftly wrapped his arms around Ed and pushed his chest onto the blade. "Ah!"

"You can kill me, but I can kill you too, for you see, only Lust has her original homunculi ability…the lance thing, I have something much different and something very pathetic. Since Hecate hates me because her mother hated me, she gave me this damn ability that lasts only one time and one time only…she was going to use it to take out Javad, but I would rather take you out with me!"

"What!" Ed struggled and Greed started to shout insanely, he laughed and Ed let out a loud groan.

"My ability is a homunculus bomb, a self destruct type thing! I will use it once and I will die forever, I will finally be free from all this guilt and torment!" Ed noticed Greed's body starting to turn red, he started to try and push harder.

"Get off me! I…" Ed groaned as he retracted his blade and pushed more. "I have a son and daughter to return home to!" Roy chuckled and swiftly transmuted a large pole from the ground, he quickly slammed the object into Greed's face. Next, he placed his hands on Greed's arms and started to burn them, Greed shouted and let go of Ed. Ed swiftly kicked Greed in the chest, knocking him back slightly, he clasped his hands together and a metal object shot from the ground and knocked Greed back. Roy placed his hand on Ed's back and pushed him as the two started to run, they looked back to see Greed pulling himself up.

"Finally, I'm free, screw you Hecate, have your other bastards do my job!" Greed held his arms out to the side, Roy and Ed watched as Greed's body exploded, they saw blood, skin and bones littered all over the place.

"My god, what the hell just happened…did he?"

"The crazy bastard just exploded, Ed," Roy said while walking toward Greed's remains. All of his remains then vanished into the air, they could see Greed's spirit standing before them, grinning deviously as he sank into the ground.

"I think…we should continue walking…I should probably talk to Javad if he ever has to kill anyone, did he ever kill anyone yet?"

"No, he probably wouldn't know what to think if he did. He's young, he probably hasn't seen so much death yet." The two men slowly started walking away, they were not sure what to think of Greed's death. As they walked, they saw two figures walking in the distance, heading toward them, they squinted and saw that the women were Riza and Rose. "Riza, it's you!" Roy shouted as though he were going to die if he went any longer without her.

"Roy!" Riza exclaimed as she rushed over to Roy, Roy wrapped his arms around Riza and quickly kissed her.

"Riza, I don't know what would have happened if I didn't see you again, I was so nervous, you're not injured any?" Riza shook her head and smiled softly, Roy smiled and kissed her forehead. "Okay good, I don't think the nation of Amestris would want to lose their first lady."

"You know you're more important than I am." Riza chuckled and Roy merely shrugged, in his eyes, Riza would always be more important. "Okay, Roy I think I know where Liore is, and I think it's to the right…which is where we all seem to be going, but what was that explosion?"

"We'll explain that on the way back to Liore, let's get moving, we have to hurry!" Riza nodded and glanced over at Ed, she narrowed her eyes and walked over to him.

"Edward Elric, you know, I think they should call you a cowardly alchemist." Riza crossed her arms and Ed let out a sigh, he wouldn't argue with her. "Why would you leave your son behind? Your son is going to need your guidance, you know."

"I know," Ed said quietly. "Fuhrer B…Mustang already gave me the entire speech. That, and he also gave me a beating to last, I think its fine. I'm going to go and take care of my children like a dad should do." Riza smiled and nodded her head, that was what she wanted to hear and she was sure that was what everyone would want to hear.

"Okay then, let's get moving, Liore should not be far from here." With that, the group began to walk; Roy and Ed explained what happened to them while Riza briefed them on her situation.

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There's the chapter, they've finally been reunited! I hope you enjoyed that, and stick around for the next chapter.


	19. Sapphire

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: This is a continuation/sequel to Opening the Gate. It's not major that you read that oneshot, since it will be discussed here. However, it's a good idea that you read it before reading this. For those of you that haven't, this is after the movie.

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Chapter 19 (Sapphire)

Javad and Calida sat in a couple of chairs in the living room, after what had happened to Calida earlier, Javad felt they shouldn't search for the parents and the parents could find their way back home from wherever they were. He was more concerned about Calida's well being at the moment than anything else. "So how are you feeling, Calida?" Javad asked while looking at Calida, she merely shrugged and crossed her arms. She slowly looked over to the side as though she were looking at something, Javad smiled when he gazed at her. He thought she was beautiful, no matter what she thought of herself, he could help but to watch with interest every time her chocolate eyes drifted across the room. He even loved the way her honey colored hair would fall over her shoulders and remain so perfectly groomed in almost every situation, Calida then felt his eyes on her.

"So, what are ya looking at?" Calida asked as she glanced over at Javad, her dark eyes meeting his golden ones. "I hope you're not staring at me, I don't exactly like being stared at, you know." Javad chuckled and crossed his arms, Calida raised her eyebrow as Javad spoke.

"I'm not staring at you, Calida. I wish you could know just how I really feel about you, I know you think I'm scum, and you know what? I really am." Calida raised her eyebrows in amusement, Javad was going to try to beg her forgiveness again she thought, she just loved having fun with that. "I don't know just if you'll ever forgive me or not, and I do know that it would be very hard for you to do that…but I just want you to know one thing, whether you forgive me or not, I'm always going to try and be her for you and I will always care about you, no matter what. I will, because you're my best friend…we always have been best friends, and I believe we always will." Calida chuckled and tilted her head back, she closed her eyes and let out a sigh, Javad would just have to keep trying because it was going to take her a long time to fully trust him again and he knew that.

"I don't know about that, Javad. You can say all these things, but do you mean everything that you say? I mean would a friend have drunken sex with his best friend and then leave, calling that moment an accident, saying that it meant nothing? Of course, you're saying that I meant nothing, that I am in fact just another one of those women."

"I never said it didn't mean anything, Calida, and you are most certainly the only woman that I've ever slept with and I don't intend for there to be another." Calida raised her eyebrow and chuckled, she crossed her arms and smirked at Javad.

"So, because of what happened, you're going to remain a bachelor for all your life? You thought you would just go ahead and lose your virginity first before going ahead with this decision?" Javad winced at that statement and Calida kept her dark gaze upon him, he could feel her eyes tearing into him, but he remained strong as she continued to speak. "I wonder, is it because I'm blonde, that men seem to think I'm weak or easy? Is it because I'm a girl that they assume I can't fight? Is this sword at my hip not threatening enough, is the fact that my father is the Fuhrer of Amestris not dangerous enough? Is that it though? Is it because he is my father that they see me as a challenge, Javad? Why don't you tell me what goes on inside the minds of these men, since you're obviously one that has managed to sleep with me, maybe I was easy game to you, because I was your best friend."

"Calida...you shouldn't talk like that, though you have every right to do so, given the circumstances that has happened. You are in no way considered to be weak, not by my standards. I realize that I have a less than appealing personality when it comes to my antics around other women and I promise you that I'm working on that. You are a very strong and beautiful girl, you were raised by a strong and powerful man that is your father, and it doesn't matter if he's the Fuhrer of Amestris or the man that sleeps in the gutter while holding a whiskey bottle close to his chest, he still gave birth to a very strong and precious girl and raised her well. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise, Calida." Calida slowly looked away and felt a blush rise to her face, she narrowed her eyes and Javad smiled softly at her. "Calida, do you remember, October 3rd 1923, at 5:38 PM?" Calida blinked and swiftly looked toward Javad, that date was when they met, she knew they met around five or six, but she didn't remember the exact time.

"Javad…you actually remember when we met?" Javad smiled and nodded his head, he couldn't deny that that moment had been one of the most important moments of his life. They were only five at that time of their meeting, how could Javad possibly remember the exact time. "Are you _sure_ you didn't just make up that time?" Javad smirked and glanced directly into Calida's eyes, it made her feel slightly nervous to have his eyes on her but at the same time it was a good feeling.

"Of course I remember, are you saying you don't remember the time of our meeting? For shame, Calida, for shame…I thought you were better than that and you could actually remember these things, that's an important date." Calida's mouth dropped and she narrowed her eyes to stare intently at him.

"I do too remember these things, Javad!"

"Yeah, well I can't blame you if you don't, we were young and I think you were too concerned with something at the time too remember what was the exact time of our meeting." Calida frowned and glanced to the side, she crossed her arms and let out a sigh. The first meeting they had was when she was crying about something, Javad went to her and asked why she was crying and asked her to stop. Javad smiled at the fact that she was remembering. "Hey there, why are you crying? Stop crying because you're making me want to cry." Calida looked over at Javad and stuck her tongue out at him, she smiled softly and closed her eyes, ever since they were little kids, he hated seeing her cry. Ever since that moment, when they became friends, she always tried to be stronger and never cry, and there had only been few times in her life when she did cry. "I can't believe that I could ever have done what I never wanted to do, Calida…" Calida blinked and Javad walked over to her, he knelt down beside her and gave her a hug, she blushed and did not push him off, she heard Javad whisper softly into her ear. "Calida, I don't ever want to make you cry again, please don't cry because it hurts me to see you cry."

"Javad, you're embarrassing me." Javad chuckled and stood up, Calida looked up and met his gaze, she felt her body involuntarily relax when their eyes locked. "Of course, Javad, I don't-" A loud explosion was heard outside of the place, Javad and Calida quickly rushed over to the windows and looked out. "Javad, you should go check it out, I'll stay here and keep a watch over the place."

"What, are you crazy!" Javad glanced over at Calida and she rolled her eyes.

"Just go, it's your duty to check out whatever happens in this place, remember?"

"My duty was to protect the woman being targeted by someone dangerous, there's no way in hell I'm leaving you behind."

"Look Javad, I would go with you, but I don't want to go out there, I think I can handle myself just fine in here." Javad raised his eyebrow and Calida sighed, as much as she hated to admit it, she was terrified to go outside at the time of day that it was. It was the time of day that she had been raped, and a scene of an explosion would be chaotic. She didn't want to be alone and she was afraid that if she went with Javad, she might get separated and it was possible for her to be abducted. Caldor could be out there and he could be anyone. "Javad, just go, I think we're the closest to the scene and I'll be sure to lock all the doors."

"Calida, I…" Javad saw the determined look in Calida's eyes, he could see that he wasn't going to win this no matter how hard he tried. Javad glanced back out the window and saw the explosion was just across the street slightly, he had to help. "Damn it, just make sure everything is locked and don't open the door for _anybody_."

"Yeah, yeah…" Javad turned to Calida and held a finger up, he looked into her eyes and she could feel her body shake slightly.

"I'm serious, Calida. Open the door for no one, not even me." Calida raised her eyebrow and Javad let out a sigh. "When I come back, I want you to ask me something that you know only I would know, or even something about you that only I know."

"Yeah, don't worry, I'll do that." Javad nodded and opened the door, he hesitated a moment and looked back at Calida, she gestured for him to get moving. He sighed and closed the door after him, she locked it and quickly rushed through the house, locking all the doors. _"Seriously, Javad has no reason to be so worried…I mean, I can handle myself."_ Calida sat in a chair and leaned back, she closed her eyes and smiled as she thought of what she'd talk to Javad about when he returned. _"What did we name that kitten we found?"_ Both Javad and Calida had a soft spot for animals, and when they were only eight years old, they found a little kitten that had been left in a box. It had a small black circle around its eye and had completely white fur, the eyes were a brilliant blue color and the kitten's tail looked like it had been cut. They named the cat Sapphire because of its eyes, they must have spent a full day playing with the kitten, and when Calida was about to take the cat home to where he parents were on Javad's suggestion, it ran off.

"The poor cat…" Calida stood up from her chair and frowned, they loved that cat so much that when it ran off, they quickly ran after it. Only when they found it, it was lying in the middle of a street, her hazel eyes were staring up at them with more pain than what the kids were accustomed to. Never before had such sadness been felt by them, it was one of those rare moments when Calida actually cried, because the cat only died shortly after they arrived. _"I think mom and dad would have loved the kitten…"_ Calida crossed her arms and sighed, soon she heard a noise and she quickly looked up. _"What was that?"_ Calida grabbed her sword handle and unsheathed her blade, she narrowed her eyes and glanced around, another noise was heard, causing her hair to stand on end.

Calida slowly walked through the house when she remembered that she forgot close the bedroom window, her eyes widened and she swiftly hurried into the bedroom. She saw the window still open and she slowly walked over to close it, she didn't see anyone in the room so she figured it was just the wind. When Calida turned around, she saw Caldor staring directly at her, she gasped and her eyes grew wide, Caldor smirked and took a step toward her while she took a step back.

"Hey Calida, it's been a little while, hasn't it?" Caldor asked. Calida felt a pang in her stomach, it was a nauseating feeling, one that made her feel like she was about to throw up, she pointed her sword toward Caldor and growled. "Oh, are you going to attack me with that?"

"S-Shut up you filthy bastard, if you come any closer…I'll…I'll…"

"What will you do?" Caldor smirked and Calida backed up against a wall, she glanced around the room with nervous eyes, fearing that she wasn't going to be able to run. "You can't very well fight with that, I mean you can, but can you kill me with it? I don't think you're in the proper mindset, now if you could just quietly come with me."

"N-No, stay away from me you bastard, I'll kill you!" Calida charged toward Caldor with her blade raised, Caldor smirked and swiftly drew his blade. He slashed at Calida's blade and knocked it from her hands, Calida gasped and backed up against the wall once more.

"Your body is shaking, you're so nervous and afraid, your sweet hands shake so much that they can't seem to hold the blade as tightly as they usually do." Caldor brought his sword down and sheathed it, he smirked and started to slowly walk toward Calida. Her eyes widened and her heart quickened with every step he took. "You must not want to hit me with that sword, how sweet of you, Calida." Calida pressed her palms against the wall, she seemed to have forgotten that she had her gloves on and could have used them.

"Go away, please." Her voice quivered and Caldor stood in place, his dark eyes peered into hers, causing immense fear. She slowly sank to the ground as she felt him staring so intently at her, she feared what he would do to her. _"Javad…Mom…Dad…anyone, help me please."_ Calida thought she could hear a loud banging noise from somewhere else, it was at the front door, Javad was probably wondering why she wasn't answering. Calida quickly shot up and started to run past Caldor, he grabbed her and swiftly pinned her to the ground, she screamed out and Caldor placed his hand over her mouth. At the instant she screamed, the banging at the front door stopped, Calida closed her eyes and felt tears starting to run down the sides of her face. She opened her eyes and saw Caldor's hand starting to move toward her, she shook her head and tried to protest, but his hand didn't stop its monotonous approach.

Glass was heard shattering in the front room, Caldor swiftly looked up and cussed loudly as he heard footsteps in the building. "Calida, Calida where are you!" A voice exclaimed.

"Javad, I'm in here!" Calida shouted out. Though, with Caldor's hand pressed against her mouth, it was more of a mumbling sound than anything else, Caldor cursed and swiftly rushed over to the window. Calida watched as he opened the window and flew out of it, she panted and sat up, she pulled her knees to her chest and shook. She didn't even notice that Javad had entered the room, she was still afraid that Caldor was actually still there. Javad saw her position and he immediately knew what had happened, he glanced over at the open window and his face tightened. He closed the window and slowly walked over to Calida.

"Calida, you're okay now," Javad said quietly. She brought her head up to look at him, her eyes were expressionless but still they held an immense amount of fear. Javad clenched his fists when he saw the water that dulled down her beautiful chocolate eyes, he bent over and picked up her sword. "It's okay now." Javad walked closer to Calida and knelt down beside her, he placed the blade in her sheath and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. He felt her wrap her arms around his neck and bury her head into his chest, Javad's shirt grew wet with salty tears, the tears that always covered up her chocolate eyes and obscured them from view.

"Don't leave me again, Javad, please don't leave me again." Javad closed his eyes and pushed himself up, picking Calida up bridal style. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have made you go to that explosion, Javad, I shouldn't have done that." Javad kept his gaze straight ahead as he slowly carried her out of the room. "Javad, are you going to say anything?"

"Calida, don't talk like it's your fault, it's not. I don't know why he keeps coming back, but I won't let him get close to you again. You're strong enough that you _can_ handle yourself when alone, but I think when it comes to that thing…you need someone to be there with you and I'm _not_ going to leave you alone to fend for yourself when he comes around. I will not leave you alone in any situation, I will take care of you Calida, because that is what I want to do."

"Javad, why would you even want to take care of me? I don't even like you, right? I mean…I give you such a hard time, how come you haven't given up on me? I assume any other man would." Javad slowly walked down the hallway and sighed, he looked into Calida's eyes and smiled softly.

"Calida, I want to because you're probably the single most important person to me, you and my baby sister right now. You, Calida, are my best friend and I refuse to leave you in your time of vulnerability, there is nothing you can do or say to make me leave you in this time. I care for you, and I'm going to stay with you as long as I can still protect you." Calida smiled softly and wiped her eyes with her finger, Javad placed her on the couch and smiled. "By the way, I found something for you."

"What is it, Javad?" Calida raised her eyebrow and watched as Javad walked over to a chair, Calida saw a small white lump sitting in the middle of the seat. She watched as he picked up the tiny mass of white fur and carried it over to her, she gasped as he placed it on her chest and she looked into its eyes. It was a small kitten with bright blue eyes, and it even had a small round black spot over its left eye.

"I found this kitten near the explosion, it was mewing really badly, fortunately she doesn't have any wounds but she was really scared. Something shook her home and invaded her privacy and safety. It seems she just needs someone who will love and care for her, I think you'll be perfect for this kitten."

"Javad…" The kitten mewed and climbed to the nook of Calida's neck, curling up just underneath her chin. Calida sighed and placed her hand on the kitten's back, she closed her eyes and smiled, Javad crossed his arms and smiled.

"Doesn't she remind you of that kitten that we had for that one period of time?" Calida smiled and slowly nodded her head, the kitten made a purring sound and Calida let out a small giggle. "So what do you want to name her?"

"Do we agree on Sapphire?" Javad smiled and nodded his head, he thought it was a perfect name. "Yeah…Sapphire is her name, just like the one before…" Calida closed her eyes and took a breath, Javad figured Calida was going to try to get some sleep and that would definitely be best for her.

Javad walked over toward the window and glanced out, he smiled as he looked down the street, he could see Roy, Riza, Rose and Ed walking toward the house, it was about time they got back. _"Finally…"_

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I hope you liked this chapter, stick around for the next.


	20. Ed versus Javad

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: This is a continuation/sequel to Opening the Gate. It's not major that you read that oneshot, since it will be discussed here. However, it's a good idea that you read it before reading this. For those of you that haven't, this is after the movie.

Chapter 20 (Ed Versus Javad)

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Javad opened the door quietly, so as not to wake Calida from her sleep, he thought she was an angel when she was asleep, he couldn't help but love her. He stood in the doorway as the four adults walked to the house, he glared at Ed and then back over to Roy. "Hello Fuhrer Mustang and First Lady Riza Mustang."

"You already know you can call me either Roy or Mr. Mustang, right Javad?" Roy asked in an almost deadpan tone. Javad smirked and then looked over at Ed, he frowned and crossed his arms.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Roy glanced over at Ed and saw him wince, it looked like Ed was about to embark on his toughest journey yet, and well, he was. "I thought the bastard was gone for good, like the coward he is, so why is he here? Did someone force him to come?" Roy chuckled nervously and Ed clenched his fists, Ed stood straight and looked into Javad's eyes. He could see himself in Javad, everything about this boy seemed to remind him of himself, yet there may have been something in him that seemed better yet.

"Javad Elric, I am your father," Ed said in a firm tone. Javad raised his eyebrow and everyone else grew silent. "I am your father and it's about damn time I start acting like a dad to you and to your little sister."

"What makes you think I _want_ you to do anything with me, bastard? I sure as hell don't need you hanging around Megan either, we can do just fine without you!"

"I know that's what you think, but I also know that you need a role model to look after you, what the hell are you going to do when Pinako dies? She's getting old, she can't take care of you forever."

"Like I said, I can handle things just fine, if she passes on, then I'll take care of Megan."

"What if you can't, someone needs to take care of her."

"Then she can live with Calida's family, she likes Calida pretty well."

"I know you _think_ you can handle things out there on your own, but there are dangerous things out there that you don't understand. There are these things called homunculi, and I can tell you everything you need to know about them."

"Shut up, I don't need your help. I'm sure Mr. Mustang is perfectly capable of helping me out in these situations." Roy and Riza glanced at each other nervously and Rose let out a sigh. "I don't need you, I've done fine without you for sixteen years and I can do fine without you for the rest!"

"Like hell you can! You need me, you need a responsible adult!"

"Like hell I do! Why would I trust someone who didn't even care enough about mom to stay with her? Why should I do anything with you, you pathetic bastard! If you were anything that mom ever said you were, then you would have stayed with her, and then you left again when you got here! You don't give a damn about us, so why should I give a damn about you!" Ed clenched his fists and frowned, Javad spoke words similar to what he had told Hoenheim years before, and the words pulled at his heart.

"I loved your mother, and I love you children regardless of anything."

"Liar…" Javad crossed his arms and Ed closed his eyes, he had to think of a way to get Javad to at least talk to him.

"You have to believe me, I didn't want to leave your mother behind, but I had to destroy the gate on the other side. I wanted to find her so badly and come back here, I knew what I had done to her and I wanted to be there for her and to raise the baby, to raise you."

"Yeah, well you skipped that chance and you aren't going to be getting a second chance. Mom's dead you bastard, and I don't need you anymore, Megan can do just fine without you."

"We can bring-"

"Shut the hell up and get out of my life!" Ed's mouth fell and Javad glared at him with intense anger, his eyes were the same exact eyes that Ed always had when he was younger. Ed chuckled to himself and wondered if Megan was anything like Al, or if there was anything that would always be something to try and soften Javad up. "I'm going to let Mr. and Mrs. Mustang in, along with Rose, but I'm going to close the door and you can go get on with your damn life like you want to do and stay the hell away from me. Roy, Riza and Rose each stepped in the door, each did not speak a word whatsoever. Ed's jaw grew tight as Javad started to close the door, he swiftly stuck his right arm through the crevice and stopped Javad from closing him out. "What the hell! Come on, this has been a hard day, can't you just leave well enough alone and get the crap out of my life?"

"No."

"What?" Javad narrowed his eyes at Ed's firm tone, Ed pushed the door open and Javad nearly fell over in shock. Ed swiftly grabbed Javad's shirt and kept him from falling, he pulled Javad close and narrowed his eyes, staring into his son's. "What the hell, let go of me you bastard!"

"I refuse, I will not let you kick me out of your life. I'm going to start acting like the dad I should be acting, to both you and Megan. If you don't accept that, well that's tough, because guess what, you're as important to me as your mother was."

"Hah, so you _would_ leave me behind like you did her!" Ed growled and closed his eyes, Javad gripped his arm and shoved him off, falling down toward the floor and catching himself before he crashed. "Damn, I don't want to wake Calida you know!" Ed raised his eyebrow and everyone glanced over at Calida, they saw her chest rising and the kitten rising and lowering with it.

"She has a kitten with her?" Roy asked with a raised eyebrow. Javad pushed himself up and dusted himself off.

"Yes, that bastard Caldor came back and tried to hurt her again, she had insisted that I check out an explosion across the street and that's where I found the kitten. Of course, while I was over there, that's when Caldor struck. I took care of her and _I_ didn't leave her behind, I don't intend on it." Ed narrowed his eyes once more, sure that was an attack on him.

"Javad, if you don't want me in your life, I will leave," Ed said quietly. Roy raised his eyebrow and glanced over at Ed, everyone looked over in shock as Ed crossed his arms. "However, there's only one condition, you have to force me out." Javad raised his eyebrow and Ed narrowed his eyes at Javad. "If you think you can beat me, and you successfully beat me in a fight, then I'll leave."

"Heh, you're joking right?" Javad smirked and Ed saw the same determined and confident look in his son's eyes that had always been in his. Roy sighed and Riza placed her hand on her forehead while slowly shaking her head. "That's too easy!" Javad turned and looked at Calida's sleeping form, he glanced over at Roy and Riza. "Could you two stay inside, or at least one of you stay in here? I don't want her to be alone out here."

"Okay son, but you know if I win, you have to give me a chance and listen to what I have to say, got it?" Javad chuckled and walked by Ed, waving his hand through the air.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, let's just do this thing already, bastard." Ed narrowed his eyes and followed Javad out of the house. Everybody inside moved to the window and watched as Javad and Ed stood in the center of the street. Ed stood straight with his arms positioned down toward the side, he looked as though he were surveying his opponent.

Javad stood with a smirk on his face, he had his arms crossed and his back straight, both men stood with the wind blowing their hair in the wind and their capes back somewhat. _"Let me think, if he's anything like I was when I was his age…jump back!"_ Ed leapt back in time to avoid having a iron wall shoot up from the ground and hit him. _"Damn, of course he won't wait for me to say go…"_ Ed narrowed his eyes and saw Javad running toward him, he swiftly dodged to the right and avoided being hit by Javad's transmuted blade. Javad growled and leapt back, he clasped his hands together and hit Ed with a blast of air, knocking him into a wall.

"Hah, point for me!" Ed shook his head and his eyes widened when he spotted a large cannon in front of him.

"Crap!" Ed quickly leapt to the side and avoided a blast from the cannon, at that moment he wished he had flame alchemy so he could have destroyed that cannon. Ed growled and glanced at Javad, trying to think of what he could do, he knew he didn't want to hurt Javad in any devastating way, but there had to be some way to get through to him. _"Okay, his special alchemy is the air or wind, and I have no clue where he gets that one. I'm sure it's one that Winry wanted him to learn because the wind is free flowing and not trapped in something. Ah I don't know, but that's not important. Either way, if I were to put up a cannon, he could just blow it away and cause it to explode. Of course, if he's like me, that's his only pair of gloves, yet he doesn't need those gloves to perform alchemy."_

"You just going to stand there all day, or have you already accepted that I am better than you!" Javad charged toward Ed and transmuted his blade once more, Ed swiftly turned to the side and grabbed a hold of Javad's arm.

_"Alchemy, with it you can create or destroy, fighting Scar sure as hell came in handy."_ Javad raised his eyebrows as Ed used his alchemy on his metal arm, Javad shouted and his arm shattered into several pieces.

"What the hell!" Javad fell back and landed on the ground, he growled and Ed clasped his hands together, causing two iron brackets to shoot out and trap Javad's legs, attaching them to the ground.

"Alchemy can be used to create or to destroy, remember that one, Javad. It may be a good idea for you to collect those pieces, but I'm thinking Pinako and your little sister are going to be a tad upset that you ruined your arm." Ed smirked and Javad's eyes grew large, he yelled and tried to get his legs out of the brackets.

"Damn it!" Javad smirked and placed his hand on the ground, Ed narrowed his eyes and saw what looked like a circle underneath, Javad was still going to try and fight.

_"Of course he is."_

"Take this bastard, I'm not done yet!" Javad pulled his trident from the ground and Ed created his spear, both Elrics swiftly brought their weapons to point directly toward the other's neck area. Of course, Javad's trident split into two, Ed smirked and Javad's jaw dropped. "When…"

"It's simple really, in my years of experience, I've grown faster and better. You will too one day, Javad, but that day will not come unless you have a proper teacher." Ed held his weapon in place for a second before taking it away, he set the bottom of the spear on the ground and looked into Javad's eyes. "So what do you say, will you give me a chance? There are many things that you are going to need to know, and I'm just the one to teach you these things."

"Damn you…" Ed glanced to the side and narrowed his eyes.

"Did you know that I had to fight several homunculi when I was your age? One of them was my most hated enemy, his name was Envy-"

"And I don't care." Ed's eyes became half lidded and he let out a sigh.

"He could transform at will, he was a shape-shifter." Javad's eyes grew wide as he thought of Caldor, he glanced over at Ed and stared at him, Ed smirked when he realized something got through to him. "I want to teach you to not make the same foolish mistakes I did, for Envy managed to successfully kill me."

"What?" Javad raised his eyebrows and Ed crossed his arms over, the spear vanished and Ed raised his eyebrow.

"Yeah, that's what happened, and my brother used what was called the philosopher's stone to bring me back. After that, I destroyed the philosopher's stone for good, while in the process of bringing my brother back. However this removed my body and sent me to the other world, I came back shortly and then that was when I made love with the woman I loved because I knew I would have to leave her. I didn't want to leave her, I wasn't even sure if I would be coming back again but I knew I would have to try, she actually asked that she give her a child to remember her by, and that's what happened. As for how I died, Envy stabbed me through the heart after he transformed into my father. Apparently he managed to shock me and used that to his advantage by cutting me in."

"I-It won't happen to me…but…Caldor transforms like the one you talk about." Ed figured that much, Greed did subtly mention the fact that Caldor had a similar ability to Envy. "I guess Caldor does have a sword too, but it still won't happen to me."

"Well I want to keep you from making all the same mistakes that I did, Javad. And maybe if you can bear to hit me, if Caldor ever does the same thing that Envy did, you won't hesitate."

"I hesitated once already…when he turned into Calida." Javad growled and shut his eyes, he was growing annoyed about where he was at the moment. "Do I have to be stuck on the ground all the time?"

"Will you let me try and be your father…your dad?" Javad glanced to the side and huffed, it didn't matter to him anyway, he lost.

"Whatever…" Ed smirked and clasped his hands together and the brackets left Javad's legs, Ed then helped Javad to his feet and crossed his arms. "You know, it'll still take some getting used to you…" Javad looked down at the shattered remains of his automail and groaned. "I can't believe you destroyed my automail though!"

"Yeah, your mother would be so mad at me for doing that." Javad chuckled and looked over, Roy, Riza, and Calida were all standing outside now.

"You woke you, Calida." Calida blinked and smirked at Javad, she could easily say something sarcastic about how Javad just lost to his father, but she chose not to say anything.

"So, I guess we have to head back to your place and get your arm fixed, Javad," Calida said while slowly shaking her head. "Pity for you, you seem to be less of a man without your arm."

"Hey! I resent that, I am no less of a man!"

"True, but I couldn't really call you a man, now could I?"

"What was that?" Javad narrowed his eyes and Calida smirked at him. "I know you're not referring to me as other men, I am _not_ like those other men, Calida."

"Oh I know, I wouldn't call you a man of that type." Javad blinked and looked at the small kitten that Calida held in her arms, close to her chest. Her arms were folded over and the kitten's paws were on her arms while its head was up and staring at Javad. "So are you going to work things out with your dad?" Javad shrugged and walked back inside, he was honestly too tired to think about anything else.

"I just want to go home and see my little sister, then I want to get some automail reattached." Javad looked over at Rose and blinked, he crossed his arms and smirked. "Oh by the way, your son is in prison, you weren't being targeted for anything but a mere prank…now I have to go write all this up in a report and send it to that bastard colonel, Colonel Havoc."

* * *

There's the chapter, Ed wins! Stick around for the next


	21. Nightmares

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: This is a continuation/sequel to Opening the Gate. It's not major that you read that oneshot, since it will be discussed here. However, it's a good idea that you read it before reading this. For those of you that haven't, this is after the movie.

* * *

Chapter 21 (Nightmares)

The group sat on the train heading to Risembool, Calida sat in a seat with her mom and her dad sitting beside her, she was looking at Javad and Ed as they in a seat in front of them. She was actually happy to see that Javad was going to be trying to spend some time with his father, he told her before they left, he wasn't sure what he thought of Ed but he knew that Megan would want the man around. So for her, Javad was willing to give Ed a shot. Javad stopped talking to Ed and glanced back at Calida, he grinned and she raised her eyebrow.

"Yo Calida, when I get my arm back, you and I are going to spar, right?" Javad asked. Calida shrugged and smirked back at Javad.

"If you want to humiliate yourself in front of your father and sister, be my guest," Calida stated. Javad rolled his eyes and then narrowed them as he stared at Calida, she looked smug and confident that she would be able to beat him. "Look at it this way, when have you ever beat me, Javad?" Javad chuckled and let out a sigh, he wasn't really sure how he could answer that. Every time he and Calida sparred, they grew deathly serious in their fights, his mom yelled at him numerous times for nearly getting himself killed or nearly killing Calida. Though, mostly it was for him nearly getting himself killed.

"Yeah, don't get cocky, Calida, you know I'm even better than I was yesterday!" Calida rolled her eyes and slowly shook her head.

"Yeah, _sure_ you are. You lost to your old man!" Javad narrowed his eyes and Calida chuckled, he glanced over at Roy and then looked to Calida with a smirk. She smirked and tilted her head to the side slightly. "Sorry, but I'm just about even with my dad, Javad. Actually, I think I've even beaten him once, we've had more draws than anything." Roy snickered and Ed slowly shook his head, Calida grinned widely and stared into Javad's eyes. "Oh yeah, a Mustang is _still_ better than an Elric, always was and always will be." Ed glanced out the window and frowned, he looked over at Javad and placed his hand on Javad's shoulder. He knew he had to tell Javad what Greed told him, he had to know, especially since Calida was being targeted. Javad looked over at Ed and raised his eyebrow.

"Need something?" Javad asked. Ed nodded and his face turned serious, he glanced over at Calida with slightly sad eyes, Roy and Riza had worried looks on their faces and Calida was now focusing on the kitten that was sitting in her lap.

"Javad, do you know the homunculus I told you about, his name was Greed…" Javad nodded and Ed let out a sigh. "He told me some things that you are going to need to know, apparently Lust told Riza similar things."

"Okay, shoot, what is it?"

"Well for one, we _could_ get your mom back in this world." Javad raised his eyebrow and Ed looked forward. "It's possible, since a homunculus that dies the first time can be brought back as a human with usually random memories, unless there's something of what their original human was that is with them. You and I could easily bring Winry's memories back just by being there with her. However, that's not the major issue."

"Are you kidding? That's great! I mean we can really get mom back! That's just perfect!"

"Yes, but do you remember the one I told you that was in charge of the homunculi when I was around?"

"Yeah, her name was Dante and she died…"

"She has a daughter named Hecate, that woman has a solution that will make almost unlimited human transmutations on people. She just needs a powerful alchemist, she really wants to kill you or use you as one of the alchemists that will help create an army homunculi in order to wipe out all of Amestris."

"Okay, so we'll stop her, that's no big deal!" Ed frowned and looked into Javad's eyes, he sighed and closed his eyes.

"There's another way she wishes to bring about revenge on the Elrics and torture you…who is the one you care about the most?" Javad blinked and looked over at Calida, she stared at him as if to ask what the hell he was looking at. "That's right, Javad. She's Hecate's second target, or at least the first." Javad's eyes widened and he swiftly glared at Ed. "By bringing down her emotional and mental state, she can get Calida to lose her strong willpower and be her next guinea pig. I think she wouldn't care what happens to you, but once you saw Calida in a state of turmoil, I guess Hecate figures you would lose it and easily be brought down. It was just as I was brought down by Envy, pushed into a vulnerable state by looking at an image of my father's face. She would push you into that vulnerable state by using Calida as your weakness, so you have to make sure that Calida is always safe and-"

"She'll be fine…She doesn't need me to watch over her twenty four seven, you know." Ed raised his eyebrow and Javad leaned back, he sighed and closed his eyes. "Calida's far from weak and is very strong, the _only_ person she can't handle right now is Caldor. Her mental state isn't high enough to handle him…I guess now I may understand why Caldor's been going after her, and I'll have to see to it that Caldor doesn't do anything to hurt her."

"Yeah…"

"However, she is perfectly capable of standing on her own two feet and walking, she has legs and she knows how to use them." Ed blinked and his lips formed a smile as Javad glanced out the window. "Don't worry about anything, we'll stop Hecate and these homunculi, and nothing is going to happen to Calida, I swear that much. And anybody who's ever referred to her as weak has usually wound up regretting those words, so she is definitely not weak."

"Right, well if you think it'll be okay, good…Let's all just keep under close alert, we'll have to be careful that nothing happens or goes wrong." Ed looked out the window and smiled, he saw Pinako standing in the train station with Megan. "We're here." The train pulled to a stop and everyone got up from their seats, Javad walked over to stand next to Calida while she narrowed her eyes and stared at him.

"Shouldn't you be with your dad?" Calida asked in a questioning voice. Javad shrugged and crossed his arms, given the conversation he just had with Ed, he did believe Calida was fine on her own, but he still wanted to be with her. He was afraid of losing her, he couldn't bear to lose her. Javad glanced over at Calida and smiled when he saw her lifting Sapphire up and nuzzling the kitten with her nose, he smiled and could not even imagine what it would be like without her there. Calida looked up and over at him, she raised her eyebrow and the kitten made a mewing sound. "What are you looking at, Javad?"

"Nothing…" Calida shrugged and the group stepped off of the train, Pinako stared at Javad and narrowed her eyes, obviously remembering Ed's prior antics. She glanced over at Ed and Megan looked up, her eyes grew wide and she took her pipe from her mouth.

"We didn't know if you'd be back, Ed," Pinako said in a quiet voice. Ed smiled and nodded his head.

"Yeah, I've come to take care of my children," Ed said with a subtle smile. Megan let out a gasp and hurried over to Ed.

"Does that mean you're going to take care of me?" Megan asked in an excited voice, she knew Ed from pictures and stories that Winry had always said, she hoped that he would take care of her.

"Yes, yes I will. In fact, Javad and I are going to be doing some things before we return for good, but I can guarantee you that I am here to stay." Megan smiled and looked over at Javad, her eyes widened when she saw that Javad's arm was gone.

"Big brother, what did you do! Your automail is gone!" Javad smirked and rubbed Megan's head, she closed her eyes and groaned slightly.

"Blame dad over here, he destroyed the automail," Javad said with a shrug. Pinako sighed and looked over at Ed, possibly contemplating how it's still Ed that's shattering her automail.

"You broke the automail that Winry and I made for you on a regular basis, and now you're still breaking the automail? Goodness Ed, have a heart wouldn't you?"

"Yeah whatever, mini hag…" Pinako smirked and everyone followed her back to the house. Javad watched as Megan played with Calida and Sapphire while Ed and Roy talked together, he followed Pinako into the house and onto a bed.

"Okay, this automail is something that Megan made the other day, she wanted you to wear it, she thinks you'll love it."

"I'll gladly wear it," Javad said with a smile. Pinako nodded as Javad lay on the padded bed, he closed his eyes and waited while Pinako went to get his new automail.

-_DREAM-_

Javad walked through the desolate streets of Amestris, it was dark and silent, not a soul was in sight. He could hear shrill laughter coming from all around him, not sure where exactly it was coming from. "Calida, hey, where are you! Megan! Mr. Mustang? Pinako, Dad!"

"Javad, over here, come quickly!" A voice exclaimed. Javad looked over to see Calida waving in the distance, he quickly rushed over to her and took her hands in his.

"What's going on here, Calida?" Calida shrugged and stared into his eyes, she had fear etched all over her face as she grabbed his hand and pulled him off in a run. While they were running, the area seemed to grow darker and Calida seemed to fade, soon she vanished from sight and Javad stopped running. "Where did you go? Hey, Calida, where are you!"

"Javad, I need your help over here!" Javad turned and saw Calida fighting several of the homunculi, she had her sword drawn and blue flames engulfing the blade. She continued to hack away at them, Javad charged toward them but it seemed he could not do anything at all. "Javad, why are you just standing there? Help me out you idiot!"

"I don't know what to do, I can't touch them!" Calida growled as she slashed once more, she then gasped and Javad's eyes widened as Caldor thrust a blade through her abdomen. "No, Calida!" The image vanished and Javad slowly turned around, he saw Calida lying on the floor, she had practically nothing on her body and tears were coming from her empty and expressionless eyes.

"J-Javad…" Javad swiftly rushed over to her and knelt beside her, his eyes were large and his breathing irregular.

"Calida, what's going on…" Calida's body was shaking, it was evident that she had been raped, Javad clenched his fists and his jaw tightened. "Damn it, if Caldor did this to you!"

"It hurts, Javad…where's my sword…it hurts!" Javad wrapped his arms around Calida and pulled her close, she groaned and melted away, causing him to jump back in shock as she vanished. Javad rubbed his forehead and glanced around, he wasn't sure what to make of the dream that he was having. "You should have protected me…" Javad glanced over and saw Calida chained up.

"Calida, what are you doing there!"

"You should have been more careful, Javad...protect me, but protect yourself. Protect me, but guard yourself…the only way you can help me is if you keep a closer eye on what happens to you."

"Calida…I'm sorry, I'll get you from here-"

"Oh god, Javad, why?" Calida closed her eyes and tears fell down her face, Javad winced and looked at her, she didn't seem to see him in front of her. "Why did it have to be like this? Why couldn't you have just been more careful, and maybe you would still be here…maybe I wouldn't be Hecate's guinea pig…maybe I wouldn't have created this army of homunculi that killed everyone!"

"What?" Javad's eyes widened and Calida's body shook once more, he was trying to piece everything together but it was becoming harder to do so. He hated seeing the state of Calida, she was bleeding from head to toe and looked like she was losing everything she had, if she had not already lost whatever it was.

"This happened because of your stupidity! You were too careless! You couldn't be sure they wouldn't kill you, and you guarded me too much, and now everyone's gone!" Javad stepped toward Calida once more but she vanished from his sight, he frowned and then glanced to the side, there in the distance was Calida once more, lying on the ground. Javad swiftly rushed over to her and lifted her up, she did not respond to his touch, instead, she looked dead.

"Calida, come on Calida, wake up!" Javad shook Calida's body once more and thought he felt a tear falling from his eye, he didn't want to imagine Calida dead.

"This is what happens Javad, because you protected yourself too much and didn't protect me any," A voice said from behind. "Your selfishness led this poor girl to fight all by herself, because _you_ were too afraid of dying."

"What? No…no I would never do that!" Javad turned around and his eyes widened, he saw Calida standing in front of him, but she looked different, she was a homunculus.

"If you protect her too much and do not protect yourself, you will die and she will eventually lose the battle, but if you protect yourself enough and do not protect her, she will die."

"She's my equal!"

"Correct, Javad, she is your equal. Here is what happens if she dies…" Javad narrowed his eyes and saw Calida's homunculus form vanish, but with her, his leg started to separate from his body.

"AAH!" Javad held his leg and groaned, it was the worst feeling of his life. "No, damn it, stop the pain! Stop the pain! AH! It hurts, it hurts! Damn it, damn it, this is too painful!"

"Javad, Javad it's okay!"

"No!"

"Big brother, why are you screaming!" Javad looked over and saw Calida and Megan standing in the distance, he glanced down and saw that his leg was gone and a large pool of blood was in its place. "Big brother, wake up!"

"I-It hurts…Calida….I failed her." Javad felt the heat around him starting to rise, he started to sweat and tug on his shirt. "What's going on?"

-_END DREAM-_

Javad opened his eyes to see everyone staring at him with worried looks, Calida's face was more serious than anyone else's face though. He saw the flames on her sword diminish as she sheathed it, Megan swiftly ran over and hugged him.

"Big brother, you were having a bad dream!" Megan exclaimed. "I was so scared, you were screaming and crying…"

"Yeah, I'm not sure how you explain that," Calida stated in a calm and quiet voice, though she looked almost as if the situation were humorous.

"I-I'm fine," Javad said with a nervous chuckle. Calida raised her eyebrow and crossed her arms, she had no idea what he had dreamed about but she was sure that she heard him calling out her name.

"Yeah, well you've been refitted for automail, I suppose we could go and spar if you wanted to."

"Let's give him a rest first," Pinako said quietly. Everyone else in the room nodded in response, they weren't too sure what to think of the events that had just transpired.

"Wait…you put a hot sword to my body!" Javad exclaimed while looking at Calida in shock, she smirked and tilted her head slightly.

"It wasn't much, I just needed to touch it to your little sister's automail and things started heating up from there."

"You really are insane, woman!" Calida shrugged and Megan tugged on Javad's shirt, he looked at her and she stared into his eyes with concern and slight anger.

"Big brother, apologize to her," Megan said quietly. "If she didn't wake you up, then you would have been screaming and I don't know what would have happened!" Javad rolled his eyes and Calida laughed lightly while shaking her head.

"Don't worry about it, Megan," Calida said while patting Megan on the back. "Javad's fine, that's all that matters right now." Megan looked at Calida and smiled softly, Calida turned around and walked out of the room, she didn't need to bother with asking him about his dream as long as he was okay.

"Are you okay?" Ed asked while stepping next to Javad, Javad slowly nodded and sat up, Roy and Ed quickly helped him to sit up.

"I don't really know how to explain what just happened," Javad said in a very quiet tone of voice. He slowly shook his head and let out a sigh, he didn't think he should worry too much about what happened, however he did want to think about it and think if there was really anything major about the dream. _"I know that I will protect Calida with my life, but I suppose that I should watch my back as well…"_

* * *

Okay, so Javad had a nightmare, they must mean something thoughl Stick around for the next chapter.


	22. Discussions

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: This is a continuation/sequel to Opening the Gate. It's not major that you read that oneshot, since it will be discussed here. However, it's a good idea that you read it before reading this. For those of you that haven't, this is after the movie.

* * *

Chapter 22 (Discussions)

Calida stood in the kitchen next to a stove and a pot, she had been cooking for most of the time that they had been in Risembool, of course anyone could see that if they walked into the kitchen and saw the numerous stacks of food. Almost everyone in the house was helping themselves to whatever food she was making, Javad actually was resting in his room for most of the day. The events of the day kept playing through her mind, all the way from that gang in the alley to Caldor's appearances and then Javad's nightmarish episode.

"Why?" Calida asked as she spooned drops of fudge into a small baking pan, it was a question that could never be answered for any of what happened to her. "Why did Caldor rape me? Why did he do what he did to me, was it some sort of damn homunculus initiation?" Calida pushed the fudge into the oven and then went back to working on something else, the kitchen was literally littered with pots and pans filled with food ingredients.

"Calida, what is rape?" A voice asked. Calida's eyes widened and she looked over to see Megan staring up at her, Megan had to be one of the most curious people on earth, so this wasn't good for Calida. "I would ask Dad or Grandma, or Javad, but they're busy." Calida let out a nervous groan and rubbed her forehead; she closed her eyes and let out a small sigh.

"It isn't something that you should know right now." Megan stared at Calida with determined and inquisitive eyes, Calida looked from Megan's eyes and back to the food. "Not right now, Megan."

"I've heard Big Brother talk about it once before, but he didn't tell me what it was." Calida raised her eyebrow and looked over at Megan with confusion; Megan crossed her arms and glanced to the side. "It was with Grandma, he said Mom had been raped and I know that I was not Daddy's child and I was another man's child." Calida frowned and looked downward; she left her food and went over to hug Megan.

"You realize that Javad, Mr. Elric, and Pinako all love you the same, right?" Megan nodded and smiled at Calida, the little girl understood that she was probably the product of rape, but she had no clue what it was.

"What is it though?"

_"Damn this girl is inquisitive."_ Calida sighed and slowly stood up, she wasn't sure how to get this girl off of the subject that she hated the most. "Megan…I don't really want to talk about rape right now, maybe if you ask me during a better time…"

"Oh! I'm sorry if I brought up something bad, or if I was annoying you, I didn't mean to do that!" Calida smiled softly and shook her head, she had to love how innocent Javad's little sister was. "Calida, do you love Big Brother?" Calida glanced up slightly and felt a slight tinge in her cheeks; she closed her eyes and turned back around to the food.

"No."

"Are you sure? He says he loves you a lot." Calida blinked and heard Megan leaving the room, she turned her head as if to say something but the young girl was already gone. She grumbled and turned back around, now her cooking was starting to speed up, she was moving all over the kitchen, non stop. She was holding the handles on the side of a large pot as she was walking across the room; she tripped on something and started to fall forward.

"Ah!" She usually had great poise and grace, rarely tripping over anything, but she did have a lot on her mind today. She felt herself caught by a strong arm, the person's other hand was on her cookware. Calida looked up and into Javad's eyes, he chuckled softly and helped her stand up straight while setting the pot on the stove.

"Well, well Miss Graceful, you've been doing a lot of cooking today it seems," Javad said with a smirk. Calida narrowed her eyes and noticed that he still had his arms wrapped around her waist, she actually had her hands on his chest, but she wasn't really caring at the time.

"Was that an attempt to poke fun at me?" Javad gazed into Calida's eyes and let out a slight laugh, she raised her eyebrow while he let out a smirk and gazed into her eyes once more.

"I don't know, you tell me." Javad glanced around the room and sighed at all the food, he slowly shook his head and chuckled. "I thought I smelled something nice that wasn't only your hair." Calida blinked and rolled her eyes.

"Must you?" Javad raised his eyebrow and Calida let out a soft growl. "Must you use such pitiful attempts at flirting with me?"

"That was a flirt?" Calida blinked once more and sighed, if it wasn't, then she didn't know what it was that came from the king of all perverts. She glanced down and once more noticed his arms around her waist and the close proximity her body was with his, and oddly, she didn't mind it.

"I don't know why I've been cooking so much, well I do, but you know the reason for that…" Any time she was in deep thought or she was nervous, she had a tendency to cook, and often those things were strange. Only a few people ate what she cooked when she had those nervous cooking fits, outside her immediate family, Javad had always been one of them. The only other person had always been Caldor; she didn't like to think about that though. _"He's lost forever, isn't he? I mean sure the Elrics can probably get Miss Rockbell back when she returns to human form, but Caldor…I don't know what to think about him."_

"So what's on the menu today, any recommendation?" Javad smirked and Calida moved her gaze upwards, her eyes stopped at Javad's lips, they were mere inches away from hers.

_"Such a small gap between our lips…"_ Calida blushed and Javad held his smirk, he could see what effect he was having on her, but he didn't want her to think she was just another girl to him. She wasn't another girl to him; she was Calida, the most important female in the world and his fighting companion.

"Maybe we can spar afterwards, Calida, if you're still up to it that is." Calida felt one of Javad's arms leave her waist, she glanced at it and watched as Javad picked up a roll from the counter. "Hmm, is this a plain roll or does it have some jelly in it?"

"Uh…actually it's a peanut butter filled roll." Calida blushed and Javad smiled softly, he brought the bread to Calida's lips, causing her to blink. "What are you-" When she opened her mouth, Javad slipped the roll into her mouth, she bit down and started to chew. Javad watched her subtle chewing motions and then watched as she swallowed the roll. "It was-"

"Hey, hey now, don't spoil it for me." Calida rolled her eyes and watched as Javad took a bite of the roll, he swallowed and then smiled at her. "It was great, you know what? You're probably one of the best cooks in Amestris."

"Right, you just keep laying it on there, Javad…"

"I'm being serious!"

"And you say stuff like that to every girl you meet, trust me, I'm not really any different. I'm just a girl that you managed to get in bed with you and then made easier by Caldor."

"Calida, that's not true! For one thing, I never meant to hurt you and I would have stayed with you had I been thinking properly. I would never have even left your side, I wasn't thinking right and boom there was a one way ticket to the bastard father!" Javad released Calida and continued to stare into her eyes, his fists clenched with frustration, but that was normal.

"Yeah, a one way ticket to him, and you _went_ there!"

"If I wasn't drunk out of my goddamn mind then I would have stayed with you! If I wasn't drunk, it wouldn't have even happened."

"So are you saying that it was a mistake, Javad?" Javad rubbed his forehead and sighed.

"No, of course it wasn't a mistake. I mean, I regret leaving you behind, and I think it was a poor choice between us with what happened, but there is no way that what happened between you and me could be qualified as a _mistake_. Calida, I…I love you for crying out loud!" Calida's eyes widened slightly and she took a step back, Javad sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have said that…it was too soon. Look, if you want to spar with me later, I'll be outside, but it's your choice."

"Javad…" Javad turned and walked out of the kitchen, he passed Roy and Riza along the way, they looked at him and then back to Calida with worried looks. Calida closed her eyes and shook her head while turning back to the food. "Hey Mom, Dad, what do you guys need?"

"We need to talk to you, Calida," Riza said in a soft voice. Calida looked up and over at her mom, she knew that when her mom started to use a tone like that, it was something important. She nodded and turned off the stove; she grabbed a towel and quickly began to clean her hands off.

"What is it?"

"Follow us," Roy said while walking out of the room. Calida nodded and followed her parents out, they led her up the stairs. While walking she wondered about what happened with Javad, she wasn't sure what to make of his words, no man could possibly _love_ her after all that happened. She walked into a bedroom and saw her mom sitting in a chair, Roy had his arms crossed and was leaning against a wall, she didn't know what to make of her parent's positions so she slowly sat down on the bed.

"I-If this is about what just happened with Javad, I'm not sure-"

"It's not about that." Roy's voice was hard and serious, so Calida figured she would just let her parents talk to her about what they wanted. "I am really not sure how to bring this up…" Riza looked over at Roy and gave a nod, she looked over at Calida and smiled sadly.

"Uh, Mom, what's up with the look?"

"Calida honey, we know this is going to be difficult, but we have to talk to you about Caldor," Riza said in a quiet voice. Calida's eyes widened and Roy slowly made his way over to Riza's side. "We got some information from the homunculi earlier today, it was the former Lust and the former Greed…They were telling us of Hecate's plan."

"Well okay, I'm listening, go ahead." Riza closed her eyes and let out a small sigh, Roy frowned and Calida looked over at him.

"Calida, Hecate is the daughter of the one known as Dante," Roy started. Calida blinked, she knew very well who Dante was, Dante and all of the other homunculi, Roy and Riza explained them all to her throughout her life. "Well Hecate wants revenge, and Ed was the one that foiled Dante's plans, which means she wants to kill Javad."

"She wants to kill Javad? But…Javad didn't do anything to her!"

"I know, and neither did you…" Calida raised her eyebrow and Roy's voice turned to a soft and calming tone. "Calida, she wants to use you in order to create an army of homunculi that will destroy the country of Amestris." Calida's eyes widened and she quickly stood up, anger was flowing through her.

"She'll never lay a finger on me; I won't do a thing for her!"

"She already has…" Calida raised her eyebrow and slowly sat down.

"Calida, she wants to wear down your mental and your emotional state," Riza said with sadness and anger mixed into her voice. "She's using Caldor to do it too."

"W-What…what do you mean she's using Caldor?" Calida's voice was nothing but pure shock, she hoped that her parents weren't going to say what she feared, but she was sure that wasn't going to be the case.

"Caldor is trying to break down your strong will and by Hecate's orders, he's doing it through…" Riza took a deep breath, it was sharp and filled with various emotions. "Rape…"

"No! That can't be right…why me? I mean, sure I wouldn't want it to be some other alchemist out there, but why me and why _rape_?"

"I don't know…but we think some of it is to get back at the Elrics. She hates them and you're a really close friend to Javad, therefore if she attacks you, it'll cause pain to him."

"Are you kidding? He doesn't even care that much, I mean he flirts with almost every girl in Amestris! In fact, he never flirts with me, not that I _want_ him to or anything." Roy and Riza looked at each other and smiled softly, they had heard Javad's declaration that he made a little while ago.

"You can say that if you want," Roy said while crossing his arms. "I'm sure he cares though, yet that's not the point of this discussion. I think the reason they choose the rape method was because it hurts all parties, everybody is affected and hurt by the rape."

"Even Javad may be deeply troubled by it," Riza stated while crossing her arms. "Whether or not he cares for you, I don't know just how much doubt should be present…" Riza looked to the floor and saw Sapphire pawing at her leg, she smiled and scooped the kitten from the ground and set her on Calida's lap. Sapphire positioned her paws up on Calida's belly and mewed until Calida looked down and into her eyes; she smiled and slowly pet the kitten's back.

"Has he actually flirted with any girls since what happened between you two?" Calida frowned and didn't look up at her father, he had a point, there was only one incident but that was when it was her on the motorcycle and Javad knew it was her. Javad's loyalty to her had not faltered after what happened with him or with Caldor, in fact, after Caldor, Javad's loyalty seemed to grow.

"Maybe you should talk to Javad about it, sweetie." Calida shook her head and was unsure of whether she wanted to talk to Javad about his or her feelings at the time.

"I'm not ready to do that, Mom," Calida said with a quiet voice. "I'm sure if Javad really cares, he'd understand that…but I just am not ready, I was just raped." Riza sighed and nodded her head.

"It's true, and when one's world is shaken like this, it requires time." Riza smiled and hugged Calida close. "Don't rush into anything, but don't let what happened to you decide to shatter a friendship that was as close as yours was with Javad."

"Don't let what shatter it, Javad's incident or Caldor's incident?" Calida smirked and Riza slowly shook her head.

"Neither, because from what you've told me along with what you've told your father, you and Javad have a great friendship. You've known each other since you were five."

"He remembers the exact time we met…" Calida chuckled and glanced toward the ground, Riza smiled and Roy smirked, that was definitely a plus in their books. Of course, they saw how much Javad cared for Calida, and that care was something that definitely pulled things up. Roy even respected the son of the Fullmetal Alchemist, of course he was starting to regain some respect for Ed since Ed was trying to be a father.

"You know Calida, you should definitely stick with Javad during these travels," Roy said while rubbing his chin. "We have to stop Hecate and her band of homunculi, and Javad can't do it on his own…so we'll all have to go with them, you definitely."

"Dad, why do I have to go?" Calida narrowed her eyes and looked at her dad for some excuse, though she'd probably go anyway.

"Well if his bane is a pretty woman, you need to be there to keep him from faltering, seriously, has he ever fought a woman before…and won?" Calida rubbed her head and smirked, he fought her before but he never won against her.

"He can't fight me to save his life, I know that much." Calida laughed lightly and her parents raised their eyebrows. "I mean, it's dangerous, but earlier today Caldor showed up looking like me and Javad couldn't fight…"

"Oh…well…"

"Yeah, that wasn't a good thing." Calida sighed and closed her eyes, Javad really did have a weakness when it came to women but it wasn't as though it was as horrible as it was earlier. Javad was completely immobile, he was staring at an image of her all beaten and battered and he couldn't fight, even though it wasn't really her.

Megan quickly rushed through the door, her eyes were wide and fearful, the group looked over at her with concern. "Big Brother is in trouble, he's going to die!"

"What!" Calida quickly stood up, making sure Sapphire was on the bed and not going to be falling to the floor.

"Dad and Grandma are at the store and Big Brother's fighting two people…I thought Big Sis was there too but she wasn't, she's here."

"B-Big Sis…who is that…" Roy and Riza glanced at Calida and Calida shook her head while running over to the window. She glanced out and gasped at what she saw; Javad was by himself and fighting some big busted girl with long nails and a mirror image of herself. "Caldor…"

"Would Caldor know how to find this place?" Roy asked as he and Riza glanced over, Calida nodded in response, Caldor had been a friend of Javad's as well in the past and it was possible for a homunculus to remember certain places.

_"But if Caldor can remember this place…should that be happening, isn't it bad when a homunculus can remember their human memories or something?"_ Calida quickly drew her sword and rushed out the door. "Come on, we have to help him, stay with Megan!" Roy and Riza glanced down at Megan who was now holding Sapphire in her hands.

"Is Big Brother going to be okay?" Megan asked with a voice filled with fear and concern.

"Yeah, he'll be just fine," Riza said in a calm voice. "Don't worry…"

* * *

And there's going to be a fight, well I hope you liked this chapter, and if you missed it, Moonstarduchess's story has been mentioned. It is WHEN ONE'S WORLD IS SHAKEN and it is a very profound and emotional story, be sure to check it out!


	23. Battle

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Thoughts in _italics_, Speech in regular. This chapter will start off with just a little prior to the fight.

* * *

Chapter 23 (Battle)

Javad walked out of the kitchen and slumped down into the chair, he placed his hands on the side of his head and groaned in frustration. He wasn't frustrated with Calida, he was angry with himself, he was angry that he couldn't be normal in the sense that he had to go out and flirt constantly. He stopped doing that though, he stopped being a flirt, he didn't want to do that when he knew Calida was bothered by it. Megan walked over to him and shook his arm, he looked at her and saw the concern and fear in her eyes, so he smiled and that caused her to smile back.

"Big brother, are you okay?" Megan asked while keeping her hands on his arm. "Do you like my automail, I made it for you big brother!" Javad smiled and hugged his little sister close.

"I love it, you did a great job on it," Javad answered. "In fact, even Dad says it's better material than he ever remembered, and that's saying something! You should know, Mom was his mechanic and I guess you can be my mechanic." Megan grinned and gave an innocent, childlike laugh, it was something that Javad loved to see.

"Big Brother, where did Mom go?" Javad raised his eyebrow and Megan crossed her arms, she looked to the ground and let out a small sigh. "I know that wasn't mom they carried out of the house that day, that body had black hair and her body looked different from Mom!" Javad's eyes widened and he frowned, that much was obvious to him before, but to think that Winry's body was gone entirely. "Who was the woman that they buried and called Mom?"

"It wasn't our mother, Megan. Our mom…she's…" Javad had to think of something to say, he didn't want to tell Megan what had happened with the transmutation and the guilt that came with it was definitely not something he wanted to relay over to his innocent sister. He knew that from what his father had told him, they could probably bring his mom back, and he wanted to do that more than anything. "Mom's been taken to a special hospital, Megan, there are doctors there that are working every day to save her life." Megan smiled widely and squealed with excitement, she couldn't wait to see if her mom would make it back safely, but then she stopped and frowned.

"What if something goes wrong? What if they don't save Mommy?"

"Well…" Javad frowned and slowly stood up, he hadn't thought about what would happen if something were to screw up, he didn't even want to think about that. "No Megan, nothing can go wrong, Mom will be back, I promise!" Megan smiled again and hugged Javad, she believed her brother whenever he promised something. Every time he made a promise, he always kept it, no matter how hard it was.

"Big Brother, can I ask you something else?" Javad nodded and Megan looked up and into his eyes. "Big Sis is sad about something, isn't she?" Javad chuckled nervously, he wasn't sure why Megan always called Calida the big sister, but in a way Calida was like Megan's big sister and Javad hoped one day that could be the case.

_"No, I can't think like that when she clearly doesn't…"_ Javad sighed and nodded his head, Calida was upset about something, but he wasn't going to tell Megan what that was.

"I want you to make a promise, I want you to promise that you'll make Big Sis happy and whatever is making her sad won't ever make her sad again!" Javad blinked and thought about how that was going to work, Calida was raped; there wasn't much chance of it never affecting her again. Something like that would always follow her around, but right now it seemed that another thing that was making her sad was him. He knew he could, if he tried hard enough, cause Calida not to be hurt by him again, but as for the rape, it would take time. "Big Brother, _promise_ that you will stop her from being sad. I don't like it when she's said." Javad smiled and rubbed Megan's head.

"I don't like it either, Megan…you have my word, I promise to make Calida happy again." Javad knew that he shouldn't make promises he couldn't keep, but where Calida was involved, he knew that he would be able to fulfill that promise. _"I have to care for her, I have to protect her, even if she doesn't want me too…I love her."_ Javad stood up and crossed his arms, he felt like going for a walk outside and didn't feel like being crammed inside the house. "I'm going out, make sure you stay in here with the Mustangs, can you do that?"

"Yes." Megan nodded and Javad smiled, he made sure to say that because both Ed and Pinako were gone at the moment. Javad stepped outside and saw to figures in the distance, he squinted his eyes and Megan gripped his shirt. "Big Brother, I don't like those two, there's something scary about them." Javad took a closer look and saw the figures walking toward the house, his eyes widened when he saw Caldor's face.

"Megan, get inside, now." Megan nodded and ran inside while Javad clenched his fists and walked toward Caldor and the woman; the woman had long black hair and was slightly busty. Her hair flowed down in front of her face and she had a tattoo on her chest, in between her breasts.

"Hello Javad, how are you?" Caldor asked with a smirk. "We figured you would have come back this way, we saw you lose your automail arm and therefore we figured you'd come see your mechanic."

"I'm not in the mood, Caldor." Javad clenched his fists tighter and narrowed his eyes, he held nothing but bitter hate for Caldor at the moment and could care less about the woman standing next to him.

"By the way, in case you were wondering…this is Lust, the former. She has been brought back in her original form, and she's been dying to meet you." Javad growled and transmuted his blade.

"Shut the hell up bastard!" Javad hoped his little sister wasn't watching, but she would realize that these two people were dangerous. Caldor swerved to the side and tightened his face; Lust lifted her arms and hit Javad in the arm with her spikes. "Damn it!" Caldor laughed and swiftly drew his blade.

"Well now, I say we cut you up now…but I have researched you, Javad, and I think it's best to go with what your weakness is." Javad's eyes widened as Caldor transformed into Calida, Lust crossed her arms and smirked. "Not only can you not fight a pretty woman, you can't fight Calida."

"I can fight her, it's not…hard…" Megan watched through the window with wide eyes, she knew it wasn't Calida that was standing out there. Caldor lifted his blade and thrust it into his own abdomen, Javad's eyes widened and he took a step back as Caldor spit up some blood.

"No, it hurts…" Javad growled and clenched his fists, he knew what Caldor was doing, but he couldn't do anything. He glanced over in time to see Lust lift her arm and hit him in the chest with her nail.

"Ah, damn!" Javad leapt back and growled, he didn't know what he was going do now, maybe if the real Calida were with him, he could fight Caldor and bring the man down. Caldor charged toward Javad and brought the blade down onto him, Javad brought his right arm up and let the blade hit that.

"You should try fighting," Lust stated as she shot a nail through Javad's left arm. Javad winced and leapt back, he thrust his right arm forward and stopped it just before it touched Caldor's face.

"What are you doing, Javad?" Caldor asked in Calida's voice. "Aren't you going to follow through? You're too cowardly, aren't you? You always are like this, just like you had sex with me and then left me behind as if I was a piece of trash."

"No…no, I didn't mean for it to happen like that," Javad said with narrow eyes. "I was drunk; I would never have left you if I wasn't!"

"You're weak Javad, you couldn't protect me from being raped either." Javad's eyes widened and he fell to his knees, that was true, he wasn't able to protect Calida from being raped. If he had paid more attention to her, maybe she wouldn't have been raped.

"No…It is my fault." Caldor smirked and Javad fell forward, placing his palms on the ground, he clenched his hands up and punched the ground. "I should have protected you!"

"It's all your fault, you were just careless, you don't care about me! If you did, you would not have left me behind and surely you wouldn't have let me be raped." Javad closed his eyes and shook his head, it was true, every word Caldor was saying.

"Damn it! Damn it, why couldn't I do anything…you're right, I can't possibly be expected to protect you…I love you, Calida, but I can't save you."

"You're _weak_ Javad; you are nothing but scum, just like all men are…"

"That's not true!"

"Admit it Javad, you're nothing but a weak little gnat." Lust chuckled and lifted her arm while Caldor lifted his blade up in the air. "It sucks to be you right now, doesn't it?" Javad waited but felt nothing, instead he heard two snaps and opened his eyes to see Caldor and Lust flying backwards. The real Calida was standing next to him, her arm was lifted and her eyes were narrowed, in her other hand she held her sword and flames were racing around the blade.

"Get _up_, Javad," Calida said with a slight growl. Javad nodded and quickly pushed himself up, he looked over at Calida but she didn't even glance at him. "To think a man like you would have trouble fighting off a woman and someone that looks transformed into a woman…no, on second thought, that _is_ something you'd have trouble with! Damn it Javad, if you're going to try to fight the person that raped me, you could at least do it where I don't have to come in and save your sorry ass, you know?" Javad narrowed his eyes and Calida smirked, she turned and charged toward Lust. "You can handle Caldor!"

"Sure, leave me with the guy that looks like you," Javad said with a small sigh. He figured it was fine, he would have slight trouble fighting Lust off, but with the real Calida there, he could fight Caldor no matter what form he chose. Javad charged toward Caldor and kicked him in the chest, he kept his eyes closed so he didn't have to see the image of Calida being injured by him.

"That shouldn't be a problem for you, Javad!" Calida slashed through Lust's chest and down through the side. "Hey Lust, you know what?"

"What is it?" Lust asked while raising her arm. Calida smirked and the flames around her sword turned blue.

"Since the philosopher's stone doesn't exist, you don't have infinite lives. Not only that, but I've done a bit of research and here's what I found, if one were to completely destroy that tattoo you homunculus have, it could lead straight to death."

"Oh…Well that's only if you can get close enough…" Calida smirked and lifted her blade, she shouted and charged toward Lust, Lust growled and thrust her nails through Calida's abdomen.

"Ugh!" Calida thrust her blade into Lust's tattoo and the flames burnt a hole in Lust's body, the flames started to spread outwards, away from the blade and eat away at Lust's skin. "There you go Lust; you'll be dead in no time."

"Damn it!" Lust retracted her nails and Calida put her hand over her abdomen, she narrowed her eyes and slashed her blade through Lust's abdomen and upwards, out of Lust's head.

"Plus this, my blade, was crafted by my ancestors with you homunculi in mind…It will kill only that which is evil…meaning, you." Lust held her chest and groaned as the painful flames continued to devour her body; Calida lifted her hand and snapped her fingers, sending a blast of fire into Lust. The only time her flames were ever blue was when the flames were on the sword, other than that, they were the same as Roy's.

"D-Damn you, wench…" Calida shrugged and took her sheath, she placed it in Lust's hand and smirked as Lust became instantly immobile.

"I said this was crafted with homunculi in mind. It does not hold the artifact that renders most to go immobile, which would be your remains, but it can hold the same effect…however that is only after the blade is thrust through your tattoo. It looks like I don't have to say it…but you are going to die pretty damn soon. So much for the homunculus that had the easiest tattoo to find…"

"I remember when it was not so complex, and years ago the alchemist had to deliver the remains that made us upchuck all of our nineteen lives, leaving only one life left." Lust smirked and looked at Calida, eagerly waiting for her death and freedom. She lifted her arms to the side and looked toward the sky as the fire spread to the ends of her body, she smiled and let the smoke rise, soon nothing was left but her skeletal remains, and those soon turned to dust.

Calida turned to see Javad fighting with Caldor, both of them were now on the ground and Javad found himself staring directly into the eyes of his own father. Calida placed her hand on her forehead and sighed, she then thrust her blade into Caldor's chest and cut out toward his shoulder while Javad slowly stood up and dusted himself off. "Get out of here, Caldor…" Caldor stood up and smirked, he crossed his arms and Calida narrowed her eyes. "Leave now, I'm not afraid to fight you." This much was true, while Javad was there to protect her if he had to; there was nothing Caldor could do to her. "I'm not in the mood, so I suggest you leave now." Javad transmuted his trident and pointed it to Caldor, he sneered and Caldor let out a small chuckle.

"Okay, fine by me," Caldor said as he transformed into Megan. Both Calida and Javad hesitated and shook as Caldor smirked, he turned around and walked off. Calida closed her eyes and sheathed her sword, Javad looked at her and watched as she slowly walked toward the house.

_"I have to get her to trust me again,"_ Javad thought as he let out a sigh. He wouldn't give up on her, he would never give up on her, but he was finding it harder and harder to think of a way to win her trust back. He knew though, that he would find a way, and she did seem to be warming up to him, as slow as that process was. Calida stopped walking and glanced back at Javad, she smirked and he raised his eyebrow.

"Are you going to stand there all day, thinking about how you were just humiliated in front of me or are you going to come inside?" Calida asked while crossing her arms. "Or is it that you would like to spar right now? If that's the case, I'll be willing to let you lose again, but how do I know you could possibly fight me?"

"What do you mean? Of course I can fight you!" Calida turned around and frowned, she knew he could fight her, but the fact that he had just nearly gotten himself killed by someone that looked like her was not something that she was too thrilled about.

"You didn't seem to do too well with Caldor, how do I know you can do anything with me? You need to get over this problem you have!"

"I have no problems!" Calida laughed and took a couple of steps toward Javad, Roy, Riza and Megan all stepped outside the door and stared on in concern.

"You claim not to have problems, yet whenever Caldor, _the man who raped me_, turns into me, you can't even fight! I know it's rough, and hey, I don't blame you at all for what he did to me, but if you're going to fight for me then at least _fight for me_."

"I…"

"You are capable of doing it, but you're too much of an idiot! You were listening to something that _Caldor_ was saying while looking like me. You lost the will to fight because of what an enemy said and you believed it!"

"Well…" Javad winced slightly and Calida slowly shook her head.

"You Javad, you of all people are the _last_ person I would think would act like that. Don't ever stop thinking, Javad and don't _ever_ give up the will to live, if you're going to fight you have to be firm, you have to be stronger!"

"I'm sorry Calida; I don't know what came over me." Roy and Riza glanced nervously at each other and Calida let out a sigh; she walked over to Javad and wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

"I'm sorry; I shouldn't have gotten upset with you about that." The truth was that if it had been her, the same thing might have happened. Caldor would try anything, and if it was her, he could have told her Javad died and she probably would have lost all reasoning. Calida stepped back and smiled softly at Javad; he drew her sword and smirked. "Come on Javad, let's spar."

"Yeah, let's do that, and don't expect me to go easy on you because you're a girl." Javad smirked and Calida rolled her eyes, it was the same banter every time they sparred.

"Oh never Javad, I would _never_ expect you to go easy on me." Calida chuckled inwardly and Javad readied himself, and at the end of the sparring match, he always wound up saying that he went easy on her."You're going down, Elric!"

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Lust is dead, and everything seems okay for now. Drop a review people! What happened to all my loyal readers and reviewers, eh? It's like I only have one reviewer, well I have two. So thank you Roxas and Moonstarduchess for the reviews! You keep me going!


	24. Amara's Funeral

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Thoughts in _italics_, Speech in regular. This chapter will start off with just a little prior to the fight.

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Chapter 24 (Amara's Funeral)

Three days passed by, the funeral service for Amara was taking place at the time, everyone who knew her and even more had shown up. Roy stood on a platform, his Fuhrer sword was positioned toward the ground and his head was bowed. Javad, Ed and Megan all stood in one place while Riza and Calida stood in the place reserved for the Fuhrer's family. The pallbearers lowered Amara's casket in the ground while Vash stared on with pain in his body. Roy looked over at Vash and raised his eyebrow, he saw Vash's body shake and his eyes close, he then glanced from Vash and over to Riza.

It was obvious that a homunculus killed her, and an autopsy report stated that she had so many problems that they weren't funny. Roy could easily diagnose the problem, she had been doing human transmutations and Roy knew full well that he had caught a glimpse of what the homunculi probably wanted with Calida. Not only that, but Caldor actually was the one to let everyone know that it had been Blaze and Hecate that killed Amara. Roy's face tightened and his eyes narrowed as he remembered the incident involving Caldor.

_"I'm not here to fight you, I'm just here to inform you of this," Caldor said while grabbing Calida from behind and placing his arm around her throat. He had his blade positioned at her back, so she knew not to move, but she was scared enough. "Our last guinea pig per say, Amara Neely has died, Blaze killed her. So you know what that means, and since I know you won't come willingly, I'll just tell you that the attacks will grow worse."_

Calida had rushed toward the others and alerted them, they were all shocked to learn that Amara had been one of those slaves for the homunculi and knew they would have to keep a close eye out. Calida had been lucky that Caldor didn't do anything, he could have, nobody else had been around when he attacked. No one was really sure why Caldor didn't take that opportunity to attack Calida, but it was possible that he only needed to inform them of something and was using Calida to do so. Roy glanced over at Vash and frowned, Havoc was standing next to him and looking over at Roy, he had the same loyal eyes that he always had. He knew that Vash was going to be reassigned somewhere, Vash was going to be stationed somewhere where the homunculi wouldn't possibly think to target him. Vash needed it and Roy could easily sympathize.

Soon the grave was filled with dirt, Roy spoke a few more words for Amara and he sheathed his sword in order to perform a rite. On two podiums were two bowls, they came up to Roy's chest height and had oil in them. Calida walked up next to her father as was custom for the rites they performed for the funeral, Roy lifted his hand up to the left bowl while Calida drew her sword and positioned her blade toward a hole in the podium. The hole was for the sword of course, Calida would light something inside with blue flames and the blue fire would light onto the oil in the bowl and symbolize eternal life, which was the strongest life. Roy would light his bowl with regular fire, signaling the life on earth.

Roy did his part first and then Calida did her part, everyone watched as the flames burned and sent smoke into the sky, they could envision Amara's spirit rising into the sky with it. The flames were supposed to burn through the night and be put out in the morning by the grave keepers. Soon the people had to leave the cemetery, though anyone could stay longer, the ceremony part of it had actually ended. Not one person left for thirty minutes after the ceremony ended though, not even Ed and Megan who came because Javad wanted to be there. Javad had wanted to be there because Calida had to be there and for his superior, even though he wouldn't admit to being there because of his superior. Soon people started to leave, eventually Megan grew tired and Ed decided to take her to the park while Javad stayed with the Mustangs. Riza, Calida and Javad eventually decided it was time to exit the cemetery as well while Roy and Jean Havoc stayed to talk with Vash.

Vash walked to Amara's grave and knelt down beside it, he wasn't sure what to do, Amara was gone and he hadn't even been able to tell her his feelings for her. Everyone knew that she loved him and Vash would have done well by asking her out, fate just got her first. Roy still knew that he could sympathize, for Vash had lost his best friend a couple years prior to what happened and Roy had lost his best friend many years ago. The only difference was Riza was the thing that kept him going and she was still with him. Since Vash had such strong feelings for Amara, he couldn't possibly be expected or forced to stay in his prior office, he would have to be moved. Vash slowly stood up and turned to Roy, he lifted his hand up and saluted Roy only to have him put his hand up and gesture for Vash to take down the salute.

"Right now we are equal, Colonel Havoc," Roy said in a quiet voice. Vash brought his hand down and sighed; Roy stood straight and kept his arms down. "I know how you are feeling right now, and I know what you must be thinking. The grave of Maes Hughes…" Roy pointed to a headstone that was a slight distance away, Vash turned slightly and looked at it, Roy kept his eyes narrowed and his jaw firm. "Maes Hughes was my best friend several years ago, he had been murdered by homunculi for having too much knowledge of something. I understand that you have lost your best friend as well…"

"Yes sir," Vash said with a slightly shaky voice. He was trying his best to remain calm and firm, it was admirable that he would try, but he would have been better noted if he let his true feelings show.

"It is also known that you performed a human transmutation on this man many years ago." Havoc glanced at Roy and Vash clenched his fists slightly, he nodded his head in response and Roy let out a sigh. "Though that is one of the great rules that you should not break, it was many years ago and I can let it slide. However, you will not perform one on Lieutenant Neely, will you?" Vash nodded and Roy closed his eyes, he was definitely not going to cite him for committing a sin that he must have learned from without a doubt. "Colonel Havoc, we have good reason to believe that you must be stationed elsewhere, and I will do this for you."

"Sir?" Vash sighed and remained silent for Roy to speak, he had expected that he was going to be assigned elsewhere, and he did not have any disagreements with the decision. Though it still affected him and took him by surprise, he would quickly get over that.

"I know your feelings for the Lieutenant, and I can say that I had the same feelings for my Lieutenant when I was a Colonel." Vash nodded in response, there wasn't a soul in Central, or Amestris, that didn't know that Roy and Riza had loved each other ever since then or even longer. Roy, Havoc and Vash stood in place as the wind blew the tree branches and leaves around them, the silence was overwhelming. Roy was struggling to think if he should tell Vash about Amara being a target or not, he did not want Vash getting involved in what was taking place, and he knew that he would if he knew what the homunculi had done to Amara. Roy would have done the same if the homunculi wanted Riza as their little pet, and Javad was already angry enough knowing they wanted Calida to be their personal slave.

"There is a war that we are trying to prevent, Colonel, a war fighting off these homunculi." Vash's eyes widened slightly and Roy's face grew firm. "I do not want you to get involved, for they are targeting the Elrics and my daughter." The media had already gotten a hold of the fact that Calida had been raped, and they knew Edward Elric had returned, they were all over it like flies on a hot, sticky, bun. "As the media knows, Lieutenant Neely has burnt to death, but as we know, it was a homunculus that defeated her. We will hunt this homunculus down, and we will kill it. You are not to interfere, are my orders on that clear?"

"Y-Yes sir, I understand your orders." Vash shook slightly, it was hard on him to not want to hunt down the homunculus that killed Amara, but he knew it would be futile if he did. Blaze had been the one to kill her, and that homunculus was already better than him because of the fire. "Where will I be stationed?"

"Up north, under General Armstrong…" Vash nodded and slowly walked past Roy and Havoc, they watched as he left the cemetery and entered into his own car. "I will give him further orders later." Havoc nodded and Roy left the cemetery, he walked over to his family and Javad's family, from there they would have to part and head toward their homes.

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Again, thanks for the reviews, those who are reviewing. Actually I need to think of a better summary/title for this, I think that has an effect. Vash is going elsewhere now, I couldn't really think of anything for him, so he's gone. Hope you liked this chapter though, next will be up soon!


	25. Roy and Javad Talk

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Thoughts in _italics_, Speech in regular. This chapter will start off with just a little prior to the fight.

* * *

Chapter 25 (Roy and Javad Talk)

Another day passed by and everyone was minding their own business, Roy and Riza were at the office in Central while Ed and Megan visited Calida. Javad actually wanted them to go over there, he wanted Calida to have some fun and Megan was probably the perfect angel to send over to Calida while Javad left and did what he had to do.

Roy was at his office desk, reading some reports, the items he was reading was enough to make him want to light the entire area on fire. He stood up and walked out of the doors and into a larger room that had a desk where Riza sat; she was his secretary after all. "Is there something wrong, Roy? You look like you did when you found out Fuhrer Bradley was probably a homunculus."

"It's these reports, Riza," Roy said as he waved a manila folder in the air. He placed the folders on Riza's desk and walked over to a coffee machine; Riza opened the folder and read the reports.

"Okay, so someone has been working on Chimeras in a secret laboratory and there is a serial killer on the loose, at least it's not as bad as it was many years ago." Roy sighed as he put some coffee into a cup, he brought the drink to his lips and swallowed.

"Yeah, but it still ticks me off, and no one knows a lot about the serial killer. It seems to me that the serial killer is tied to the chimeras, as though he's controlling the chimeras and using them to attack." Riza looked back to the reports and raised her eyebrow, the chimeras were apparently out of the laboratory, but they must be in controlled numbers or else they would be all over Amestris. "I need to think of something to do…oh and Riza, I'm thinking of having Elric reinstated." Riza chuckled at that, if he wanted to have Edward reinstated as a state alchemist, that was going to be difficult.

"Are you sure you can really do that?" Roy leaned against a wall and took a sip of his drink, he then lowered the cup and stared ahead in thought. If anything, Ed would be promoted to a higher rank because he'd be missing in action for sixteen years.

"Sure, I think he would have to be reinstated as a Brigader General though, but he is actually still a state alchemist." Roy chuckled and walked to his door. "Still a 'dog of the military' so to speak."

"Still…" Riza rolled her eyes and chuckled as Roy smirked, he walked into his office and Riza moved back to her desk. The door to her office opened and she lifted her gaze upwards, she saw Javad walking toward Roy's door. "Uh, Javad, do you need to talk to Roy?" Javad placed his hand on Roy's door and looked over with a smile.

"Yes actually I do," Javad stated.

"He's not in his best mood, so I'll give you fair warning if you go in there, he _might_ be tempted to set your hair on fire." Javad blinked and Riza smirked, she shrugged and went back to her desk while Javad glanced at the door. He wasn't sure if he wanted to risk walking in the office and being turned into a barbecue. Javad shrugged and walked into the office, Roy had his elbows on his desk and his hands positioned in front of his face, he snapped his fingers on impulse and Javad leapt to the side in time to avoid being hit by a blast of fire.

"Seriously, I can't tell who's scarier, you or Calida," Javad said while walking over to Roy's desk.

"Usually the father is the scarier one," Roy said with narrow eyes. Javad shrugged and sat down in one of the chairs. "Come on in Javad, have a seat." Roy leaned back in his chair and tapped the desk with his fingers, Javad looked slightly nervous and unsure of what to say. "So what are you here for?"

"Well actually Fuhrer-"

"Call me Roy." Javad blinked and let out a sigh, he shook his head in protest, he couldn't bring himself to do that.

"Sorry, but I don't think I can do that, I wouldn't want to put myself on the same equal level as Calida's father or the Fuhrer of Amestris." Roy raised his eyebrow and rolled his eyes, he didn't really care at the moment. "Anyway, I was sort of hoping you could give me some advice, not as a Fuhrer or a father but a man who might have some experience. I'm at a loss, I don't really know what to say to Calida or what to do, I think I'm doing all the wrong things with her." Roy rubbed his chin and crossed his arms, he stared into Javad's eyes and let out a sigh.

"You do realize this could have waited, right?" Javad shook his head and Roy chuckled, Roy stood up from his seat and walked over to a photo; it was that of Calida when she was a very young age. "Calida is my daughter as you know, it's impossible for me not to give you advice from the perspective of her father. She's sweet and delicate, like a flower of course. You know that she's been hurt, and you're one of the people that did it, yet with you she can actually trust again. You came back for her, you're proving to her time and time again that you care about her, and what my little girl tells me along with Riza, is that you're actually doing a good job."

"You think so?" Roy smirked and closed his eyes, he was shocked that Javad didn't realize that he was actually not doing poorly with Calida, and if anything, he was doing better than what some people might do. Roy positioned his hands behind his back and stood erect while looking at Javad, it was a look of sure superiority.

"Look here, Javad, all you have to do is keep at what you're doing now. You're doing well, you're not getting frustrated easily with her, and a lot of men might have done just that. She only needs you to be there for her, she needs to know that you care, Riza and I feel that you're doing a great job of that." Javad blinked and Roy let out a full smirk. "Look at it this way, Javad; if you were doing a _bad_ job with Calida, then I would probably be introducing you to the furnace inside my living room. But then, Calida would probably be setting you on fire."

"Uh, yeah…" Javad chuckled nervously and silently gulped, he hoped he wouldn't end up messing up that badly. "It's just, whenever we talk, she yells at me for leaving her behind and I am trying to make her see that I came back for her and that I really do care about her."

"I know that, Javad. I can see that you care for her and I can tell that you want her to trust you again, but these things as you know _will_ take time. You need to let her know that you're not going to leave her, and I feel you're doing a good job with that. What more do you expect to do, surely you don't expect her to turn around and trust you one hundred percent in one day, right?"

"Of course not, I know that won't happen, even though it would be nice if it did…" Roy chuckled and nodded, it would be nice, but there was no chance of that. "I've done some reading in libraries and such on what to do, but books aren't helping me much." Roy rubbed his chin and glanced to the door; he sighed and shook his head.

"Yeah, books aren't completely helpful, but they do help in some instances. I knew someone a long time ago that was raped, so I can give you some advice. When one's world is shaken, everyone is affected and the friends that are affected need to know that the victim will always have some trouble with the attack. They will ask themselves why it happened; they'll even ask you why you care about them and stay by their side. You need to understand them, you need to be calm and patient, and let her know that you're not going to treat her any differently than you treated her before the attack. Don't dwell about things that aren't important, like trying to get her through as many recovery methods as you can think of or grief stages. Though they are important, what you should always do in any case is just being there for her and caring about loving her and keeping her safe."

"How can I understand though, if I don't know anything about what happened?"

"She may tell you what happened but then she may not, it is not your place to know that, it is only your place to know how to make her feel safe and make her feel that it won't happen again."

"But it almost did happen again, in Liore when she made me go check out that explosion, that bastard came in! He came in and he touched her, he was going to do something to her! I feel like I failed her, okay? I feel like I failed her damn it…How am I supposed to protect her from someone I don't even know where or when he'll strike, and he can change his appearance to anything! How am I supposed to protect her against that? How am I supposed to keep her safe from something that can turn into _her_ while I'm trying to fight it and then when he does that, I can't possibly fight back! I want to keep her safe, I love her, but I failed her and-" Roy held up his hand and glanced up to see Riza peering into the doorway, she moved away from the door and Roy sighed.

"Listen to me, Javad. As you know, you can't be with her twenty four seven, there's no way you can possibly protect somebody every second of the day and if you were to do that, they'd feel suffocated…" Roy paused and looked at Javad, Javad looked ready to break down from guilt and thinking that he was at fault for everything that went wrong. "Javad, you should never blame yourself for what happened."

"I'm fighting Caldor the other day, you remember, and while he was in Calida's appearance he said that it was my fault that she was raped. He said that it wouldn't have happened if I was stronger." Roy placed his hands on Javad's arms and shook him slightly, Javad looked up and met Roy's gaze. Roy's eyes were sharp and piercing, and they seemed to command the attention of all in the room.

"Listen to me and snap out of it! That was what _Caldor_ was telling you, even though he was in the form of Calida. My daughter would _never_ tell you those things, and she herself told you that she knew you weren't at fault. You're not at fault for what happened; Javad and I will not tolerate you blaming yourself for what some bastard that I hate did to my daughter. If you want to put yourself on the same level as that bastard, be my guest, and I'll do to you what I want to do to him! If you keep blaming yourself for something that was out of your control, then where are you going to be when Calida starts breaking and blaming herself for what happened? Where are you going to be when Calida needs you to care for her, you can't waste your time blaming yourself because Caldor _wants_ you to blame yourself. It's what he wants, damn it! It's what all the homunculi want, they want you to shatter with her so they can do whatever they want to you and take my daughter away, and are you going to let my daughter be taken away?" Javad blinked and stared into Roy's narrow eyes with his wide ones. "Well? Am I making a mistake here? Do I trust the right person with my baby's life, with my daughter's security? Or am I trusting the wrong person to take care of her?"

"What…" Javad's face slowly grew determined and Roy smirked, he could see that he was getting through to the youth. "You don't have to worry about a thing, I'll not let you down, and I won't let her down."

"I never said you did."

"Well I won't, I promise you that I will treat her right and take care of her…" Roy smiled and patted Javad's shoulders, he stood up and stared at Javad for a moment.

"Javad, how often do you cry?" Javad raised his eyebrow and Roy slowly walked over to his desk, he sat in his chair and looked directly at Javad. "Simple, how often do you cry, how often does Calida see your tears? Any at all?"

"I…I don't usually let her see me cry, I don't like it when she cries either but I don't ever let her see me cry."

"I see…" Roy nodded and his eyes followed the edge of the desk, he lifted his eyes and met Javad's. "You shouldn't be afraid to let her see you cry, it is only a myth that it isn't 'manly' for a man to cry. When the time comes and you're sure you're going to cry, don't be afraid to let them go."

"Well that would be pretty hard; I mean I've not cried around her in a long time."

"Ever come close to it?"

"Well yeah…but I've always kept them away from her, it's kind of hard to cry in front of her because for so long I didn't want to."

"Hmm, well then consider it an order." Javad blinked and nodded as he slowly stood up, Roy smirked and leaned back in his chair. "If you ever need to talk again, come see me, I'm always willing to talk. Oh and when you head back to wherever you're going, let that father of yours know I need to speak with him. It's a little matter of an artifact that seems to have lost its owner." Roy glanced at an open drawer in his desk and smirked, inside of the drawer was a silver watch that was open and still working, on the inside cover were letters marking October third. "Tell him I'd like to see him on the third."

"Uh, why the third?" Javad raised his eyebrow and Roy smirked fully, so Ed hadn't told him about the anniversary of when he transmuted his mother.

"Well since that's the anniversary of the day you met Calida, I think Ed should probably talk to me about a specific and significant matter that is considered an anniversary for him on that date." Javad tilted his head to the side and shrugged while turning around to walk out the door.

"Yeah, I'll tell him. Oh, and thanks for the advice…Roy." Javad smirked and Roy smiled at him, Javad swiftly exited the room and Roy leaned back in his chair. He took the watch from the door and chuckled; Riza stepped in and raised her eyebrow when she saw him looking at the watch.

"Well this is going to be interesting," Riza said while slowly shaking her head and walking over to Roy's desk to talk about what Roy and Javad possibly talked about.

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Since the last chapter was sort of a filler (if you want to call it that) then I'm posting this up alongside of it. Hope you like this one!


	26. Secrets

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Thoughts in _italics_, Speech in regular. This chapter will start off with just a little prior to the fight.

* * *

Chapter 26 (Secrets)

October third came around and Javad was now trying to convince Calida to come with him somewhere. "Seriously, what do you have in mind, Javad?" Calida asked while standing in her doorway with her eyebrow raised.

"Come on, I'll show you!" Javad said as he took Calida's hand and pulled her from the door. Calida chuckled and pulled her hand from his, she tilted her head and smiled softly, wondering just what Javad was up to.

"You know I don't want to go anywhere right now, the media is too wrapped around everything and I'd rather not be bothered by reporters asking me about my rape, you know?" Javad nodded with understanding, he didn't like how invasive the reporters were, just because the Fuhrer's daughter had been raped, they had to ask her so many questions. It was intrusive and it was not something they should be doing.

"Well don't worry, I'll make sure they don't bother you, today is your day!" Calida raised her eyebrow and crossed her arms, October third wasn't ever a day she would consider as "her day" or whatever it was. "I just want to take you somewhere, and I also want to tell you something…no one really knows it and I never told you." Calida's mouth opened slightly, she was shocked that there was actually something that she didn't know about Javad.

"Ooh, is it something I can use against you?" Calida smirked and Javad rolled his eyes, he took her wrist and she swiftly pulled it away. "Don't touch the wrist, Javad…" She didn't mind Javad holding her hand or her arm, but she didn't want anyone touching her wrists. Javad tilted his head slightly and raised his eyebrow, Calida chuckled nervously and shook her head. "It's nothing really, Javad, I would just rather not have people grab me by the wrist."

"Yeah, sorry about that, Cali…" Calida smiled and walked next to Javad, it had been some time since he called her that, it was just a name shortening but it always felt good when he did that. "But still, follow me; I want to take you somewhere!" Calida chuckled and shook her head, Javad figured she wanted him to tell him exactly where he was planning to take her and what he was planning to do. "Okay, so I want to surprise you, are you okay with that?"

"I'm not too sure I want any surprises right now."

"Okay, well I was going to take you to my favorite place in the park, it's like a special place that I go to and think about things." Calida raised her eyebrow and tapped her chin, she couldn't remember this place. "Yeah, I never told you about the place, I was always liked to go there alone and think about things."

"Yeah, so it's like your own personal thinking place?" Javad nodded and Calida chuckled lightly. "Why would you want me to come with you? I mean, it is your own private area, Jav." Javad raised his eyebrow and glanced over at Calida, he smiled at her use of the pet name for him. When they were kids, she would always call him Jav or Java, and now she was calling him that again."

"Just because I feel like I want to share that place with my best friend." Javad took Calida's hand and gave it a soft squeeze, she yelped as they started out in a slight run. Calida quickly slipped her hand out of his and stared at Javad, he stopped and looked back. "Is something up, Cali?"

"Yeah actually, I want you to look over there." Calida pointed to the right and Javad looked in that direction, when he did that, Calida took off running toward the park.

"Hey! No fair!" Calida laughed and continued running, Javad quickly ran after her, eventually he passed her up and stuck his tongue out at her. "Hah, looks like I'm ahead of you now!" Calida narrowed her eyes and sped up, she passed him once more and let out a laugh.

"You're still slower than I am, and you always have been!" Calida laughed and Javad let out a growl. "Aw, did I offend you Java? I'm sorry that I have to leave you behind to eat my dust!"

"Well then it's going to be…" Javad stopped himself, unsure of what to say as a comeback, as his current thought wouldn't have been good to say, and he wasn't going to leave her behind. Calida glanced back and laughed, having one in the comeback war, she then shouted as she tripped on something. "Whoa, look out Calida!" Javad sped up and Calida fell onto him, he fell backwards as his arms wrapped around her body and the two rolled slightly. Calida groaned and opened her eyes, her hands were on Javad's chest and her eyes were staring directly at his, he was positioned above her with his hands on the ground next to her.

"Uh…" Calida blushed lightly and Caldor merely gazed into her eyes, they were just so easy to get lost in, they resembled the midnight sky, all down to the tiny specks of light in her eyes that resembled stars. His eyes were having the same effect on Calida, she always seemed to get lost in his ember and honey colored eyes. She felt her heart starting to beat faster, there was only ever one person that had been this close to her before.

_"She's so beautiful…come on Javad, act cool, say something! She's going to think you're being stupid. Those midnight eyes have the most beautiful stars in them, I just seem to lose myself."_ Javad smiled at Calida and he could swear that he felt her heart beat. Caldor was the only person to be this close to her, and that was during the incident, Calida blinked to remove it from her mind. "Calida, your eyes are…nice." Calida giggled nervously and Javad closed his eyes, wincing slightly. "That sounded _so much_ better in my head!"

"Javad, do you know how close you are right now?"

"Oh! I'm sorry, does it bother you? I mean…I wouldn't want…" Calida chuckled and felt her head starting to lift up off the ground, she thought she could see Javad's head starting to lower. Her heart beat with every second they grew closer, she wasn't sure if she was ready to kiss him or not, but it appeared that it was going to happen anyway. Javad stopped moving closer and was quickly pulled off of Calida, she gasped as several people helped her up.

"Javad!" Several men started to punch Javad, he groaned and the men held him in place while Calida's eyes widened.

"That's what you get, bastard!" A person exclaimed. "What did you think you were doing to the Fuhrer's daughter!"

"She's my friend!" Javad exclaimed.

"Liar!" The man punched Javad in the abdomen once more, Javad rolled his eyes and sighed, obviously the people would think the wrong thing when they heard Calida shout and then run and then apparently get tackled.

"Hey, get off of him!" Calida ordered, her face was serious and the men all looked at her in confusion. "Seriously, let him go, he didn't do anything to me."

"But he was…wasn't he chasing you?" Calida narrowed her eyes and looked at the man as though he were the dumbest oaf on the planet.

"We're childhood friend, moron…We run around like this practically all the time, he would never do anything to hurt me like you're thinking! He's not the man that raped me and I know for a fact that Javad would never do that, now release him before I have my father and his bodyguards come after you!"

"But even still, who is this man, is he someone your father would approve of?" Calida rolled her eyes and sighed, this was information that was not something that this man needed to know. She was slowly getting more irritated with him.

"That's not your business, and yes my father approves of this man, and if you must know, he's the son of Edward Elric."

"Edward Elric…you can't mean…the Fullmetal Alchemist?"

"No, I mean the poster child on the box of cereal that you eat in the mornings, yes I'm talking about that, now let go of my best friend this instant." The men quickly released Javad and stepped back, they looked at each other and quickly left the area, Javad rubbed the back of his head and chuckled nervously.

"Man that was unexpected," Javad said in a quiet voice. "So…uh…let's go to the park!"

**-NEW SCENE-**

"Here we are!" Javad said while standing in front of a lake, they were surrounded by trees and shrubs and had just spent ten minutes walking down a hiking trail.

"Damn, you know what? I just realized I forgot my sword, I can't believe I left it at home!" Javad's eyes widened as Calida slapped her forehead, he knew the sword was probably her greatest means of protection and safeguard. The sword was important to her, she felt naked without it. "A-At least I have my gloves, those are more important, right Javad?"

"Yeah, they're good too Cali, don't worry about it. I'll make sure nothing comes to you." Calida crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, she actually liked the fact that Javad said he'd protect her, at least he had been doing a good job of it.

"Yeah, but it's starting to get dark out, do you think you can possibly protect me with air alchemy?" Javad closed his eyes and smirked, Calida raised her eyebrow and tilted her head as she gazed at him. "Why the smirk, are you hiding something?"

"Well that's what I wanted to talk about, actually. That air alchemy isn't much, I mean it's more of a _quality_ that aids my real alchemy." Calida blinked and her eyes remained wide.

"R-Real alchemy, what is that?"

"I was always scared to show this to you, I was afraid you'd be frightened more of the damage it causes than anything, but I realized that this can be really helpful." Javad sighed and held his arms out from his side slightly, Calida raised her eyebrow and watched as sparks swirled around Javad's hands, in his hands appeared two guns.

"Okay, so you have some guns, yeah that's normal alchemy." Javad sighed and slowly shook his head.

"I can definitely protect you better, and I would always come to this area of the park to train on this particular alchemy. The academy that Mom sent me to had two major alchemy traits with the air aid, one was a heavenly power that was high in spiritual and whatnot while the other was a highly offensive and damaging alchemy."

"Let me guess, you got the stronger one?"

"No, Cald…the other guy did." Calida blinked and frowned, she heard what Javad had said.

"You mean Caldor was there too?"

"Well a lot of them were…but you know Caldor used to be a friend of mine, that's where we met. He got the stronger one, which was actually the spiritual one…As you know, mom had been raped and because of that, she always told me that whatever Alchemy I learned, I better learn one that was powerful and could blow away the dangers and get rid of any offensive person. She was all about power and safety, she pretty much wanted me to take the offensive one…you know, she was always sheltering Megan, she never let Megan get out much and was always watching over her, she practically forced automail down Megan's throat. Only my little sister loves automail anyway, so it isn't a problem. Back to me, I'm more properly known as the Hellshooter Alchemist."

"The _What_ Alchemist?" Calida's eyes grew large as Javad lifted his guns toward a tree, he pulled the triggers and a large blast sped into the tree and blew it up. "What did you just do, Javad!"

"I blew up a tree." Javad lowered his hands and Calida stared at the large crater that was now in place of where the tree was, Javad bowed his head and clenched his fists. "That lake you see over there…" Calida looked over at the lake and nodded, she glanced back at Javad and saw his body start to shake.

"Javad…what is wrong?" Javad closed his eyes and stopped all body movement, he turned his back to the lake and growled.

"This entire area was covered with trees, Calida, it never had that lake there. That lake was put in by a water alchemist, and that water alchemist was the mother of one of my best friends." Calida raised her eyebrow and thought for a minute, the guns in Javad's hands vanished and his fists clenched. "Caldor…"

"W-What…Caldor was your best friend?"

"He was, back when I went to the academy, he was one person who always talked to me and we always did everything together. After learning out Alchemy, we would come here and train all the time and his mother would always fill the holes we created with water."

"Oh my god…Javad, I never…"

"Should be about twenty feet deep actually, these guns were powerful and that's why I was always afraid you'd be scared of them. Even now, I am too upset to bring them out because of the past. I know that I could easily use these to protect you, especially against him, but I never thought I'd have to use them against him. A part of me doesn't want to have to hate him, but then a part of me wants the bastard to die." Javad slowly lifted his head and looked at Calida. "What did he do to you, Calida? What did that man do to you?"

"I can't tell you that, Javad…I mean, he was your best friend and well he was my friend too but for you to know what he did. Javad, it wasn't even him actually, I mean…it was his homunculus!" Calida walked over to Javad and saw him with a very serious look on his face, Calida's body shook at the new knowledge that she had. "Javad, he didn't wrong you, he wronged me. I don't even like to think of it…"

"I'm sorry Calida, I didn't mean to bring that up…" Javad wrapped his arms around Calida in a hug, she gasped lightly as he pulled her close. "I just didn't want to believe it…Then I opened old wounds. The reason I told you this was because I wanted you to know about my real alchemy and that I can protect you, and that I'm ready to fight Caldor no matter what."

"Okay…weird…can you let go now?" Javad nodded and released Calida, she sighed and crossed her arms, unsure of what to think about the new revelations. "Just remember that it isn't Caldor, I mean it is him but at the same time it isn't him."

"I know, but either way, it just feels uncomfortable to have so much hate…I've never hated the guy this much before. My best friend raped you and I wasn't able to do anything…"

"Javad, you…" Calida blinked and thought she saw something coming from Javad's eye, a closer look revealed it to be a tear. Calida's eyes widened and her heart faltered slightly, she had never seen him cry before and he was crying now. "You are crying, why are you crying?" She pretty much knew why he was crying, it was because of the loss of his best friend's soul and the rape of his other best friend. He was finally opening up, he was telling her something major, the reason he didn't tell her about his alchemy was because it had remained a part of one of his friendships. His mom forced him to learn that one, he was just now spending time with his father, his sister got to know her father too, his best friend of however long died and became a homunculus, that same friend raped his other best friend and would continue trying, he would also continue to try and kill Javad, and he made the mistake of leaving Calida behind and was trying his best to regain her trust. "Java…it's not your fault." Calida wrapped her arms around Javad in a hug, she let her tears fall from her eyes and she cried with Javad.

"Why are you crying, Calida, don't cry, don't you know that I hate when you cry?"

"Well, I don't know why I cry, I guess I'm crying for you. I mean, you have so much-"

"I'm only crying for you, you know. Well, I'm not really _crying_…" Calida shrugged and released Javad, she liked to see him shedding tears, it was very soothing to her and relaxing.

"I don't know why you don't like to see me cry, Javad, I like seeing your tears."

"Heh, yeah right, you'd probably think I was a pansy or something." Javad crossed his arms and glanced to the side, Calida chuckled and shook her head.

"Nope, you've got to be one of the strongest men that I know, next to my dad and a few others of course." Javad raised his eyebrow and Calida smirked at him.

"A few _others_, who are these people, I want to know!" Calida chuckled and raised her eyebrows up and brought them down, she then turned around and started to walk off. "Hey! Come back here, who else are you talking about!" Calida shrugged and continued to walk off, Javad followed closely behind, still trying to figure out what Calida was talking about.

"Hey bastard, quit walking!" A voice growled out. Javad and Calida stopped walking, the glanced to the side to see the murderous eyes of Caldor staring at them. Next to Caldor was Pride, his hand was on Caldor's shoulder.

"Can you fight?" Pride asked as he glanced over at Calida, he saw that her sword was gone but she had her gloves on her hand. Calida lifted her gloves and looked at her hands, the cloth on her gloves had been worn out, she had been doing something in her home and it tore her gloves up. Pride stepped into the shadows and left the area, Caldor swiftly charged toward Calida, she gasped as he grabbed her around her waist and jumped up into a tree.

"Bastard, put her down!" Javad shouted with pure malice written on his face.

* * *

So we learn a little something about Javad's relation with Caldor, they were best friends. Oh, and yes, I left you a cliffhanger, but I'm nice, for you I'll post the next chapter with this.


	27. Tension and Comfort

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Thoughts in _italics_, Speech in regular. This chapter will start off with just a little prior to the fight.

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Chapter 27 (Tension and Comfort)

"Are you sure you want me to do that?" Caldor asked while smirking at Javad, Calida struggled in his arms and he let out a growl. "I mean if I let go, she becomes one of two things, or both…squashed bitch on the ground or food!" Javad raised his eyebrow and Calida screamed out, Caldor pointed toward the ground and Javad looked over to see himself surrounded by chimeras. "Before you ask, I have _nothing_ to do with these chimeras! Oh, and I don't mind this woman becoming food here…and also I would love to get the hell out of this place." Caldor looked over at the lake and narrowed his eyes, he hated the part of the park they were in, he hated the park and he hated Pride.

"Why the hell are there so many chimeras!" Javad exclaimed while looking around, he was pretty much circled in by the creatures. Javad growled and looked up at Caldor, Caldor was merely staring down at him with a frown on his face while Calida was struggling with all her might to free herself from his grip. Calida's fists were balled up and she was punching Caldor with every power that she had, Caldor's face tightened and he shouted out at Javad.

"Why the hell are you looking at me! If you want this woman to live, then I suggest you concentrate on what seems to be on the ground right now, Javad!" Javad narrowed his eyes and looked over to see a wolf-like chimera slowly stalking toward him, the creature pounced and he quickly transmuted his trident. He swiftly arced his arm around and thrust the trident through the chimera's body, he moved his trident back and sliced into another chimera. "Idiot, what the hell are you doing fighting with a trident! You want to save this girl, don't you? From my perspective, there's almost a thousand or more chimeras in this park alone, coming toward you. You think you can take them all on while using your trident and that air alchemy? That's a guide for your real alchemy you idiot, use your real goddamn alchemy or you're going to end up dying! You know what happens to this girl if you die?" Calida froze and her eyes widened, Caldor rolled his eyes and Javad glared up at him.

"You bastard, if you touch her!" Caldor rolled his eyes again and stayed in the tree, he made it clear that he wasn't going to be letting Calida go anytime soon. "Damn it, bastard, she's safer with me, what the hell are you doing up there with her anyway!"

"Right, she's definitely safe with you." Caldor watched with amusement in his eyes as Javad sliced another chimera with his trident and clasped his hands together, blowing a couple of the chimeras back. "You're fighting a thousand chimeras with one measly trident and an alchemy guide. You know, I think I'll just take this beauty here and leave you here to die."

"You will do nothing with her!" Caldor laughed and Javad growled, it was apparent that the man enjoyed messing with Javad, no matter how sick the joke was. "When I'm done here, I'm going to kill you!"

"I'm sorry but that won't be the case, I'm the strongest homunculus and you can't even fight me, too bad!" Caldor reached his hand in his pocket and pulled out two dark gloves, they were spare elemental gloves that were used by Calida. "You _might_ want to use these." Caldor smirked and then started to leave Calida on the tree branch, he reached his hand down real fast and gripped Calida in an inappropriate place. She screamed and nearly fell, Caldor grabbed the back of her shirt as she landed on her knees, thankfully the branch was big enough that she could stay on. Caldor laughed and leapt off of the tree as Javad was tackled by numerous chimeras, only because he had been distracted by Calida's scream.

"Bastard…damn it get off of me you damn chimeras!" Javad transmuted his guns and fired off several large blasts, throwing several of the creatures off of him. He stood up and had blood running down his body from the claw and teeth marks, he glanced up and saw Calida sitting on the branch, her body was shaking horribly and it looked like she was about to fall off. _"Did he just touch her? Damn it, she can't fight in this condition, and if she falls…"_ Javad looked at the chimeras that were approaching and growled, it was a bad position they were in, Caldor probably saw this as an opportunity to kill off Javad and take Calida to Hecate. _"If that's the case, why didn't he take her just now?"_ He didn't have time to think about that right now, he had to protect Calida, which was the important thing. _"So be it, I'll make sure these beasts don't lay a claw on her."_

Javad narrowed his eyes and lifted his guns, he started to fire off his weapons, some bullets were rapid, some were gigantic, some were small yet equally destructive, but every single bullet shot from the guns left massive damage. In fact, the damage fit his alchemic name, he was literally bringing Hell to Earth. Javad didn't even have to keep his eyes open, he was completely in tune with the shooting. He spun his body around and shot a chimera that was leaping toward him, it split in two while the bullet shot out of the chimera. Javad used his air quality to direct the bullet and hit another chimera through the head, causing the head to blow up. Javad leapt back and fired some more bullets at the creatures, each bullet that he fired seemed to leave a trail behind it, causing nothing but death to the creatures. Javad turned his guns toward two large trees and shot through them, causing the trunks to fall inwards, on top of several creatures.

"Okay, I don't know just how many more of these mutants there are, but they're starting to bug me!" A tiny snake-like chimera slithered onto his leg, he used his air alchemy and blew the chimera far into the air, he lifted his arm up and fired a shot into the creature, splitting it in half. _"How many more of these things are there, damn it!"_

"Javad, help!" Calida shouted from above, Javad looked up at her and his eyes widened, a man was holding her around her waist and held an evil grin on his face. That man was not Caldor, and Javad didn't even know who it was, the man laughed and shoved Calida out of the tree.

"Damn it!" Javad's eyes widened and he quickly clasped his hands together, a wind current blew Calida toward him as he jumped up and grabbed her in his arms. He landed on the ground, his knee touched the ground and he lifted his free arm toward the man on the tree. He fired a gunshot and blew half of the giant tree up, the man leapt off and landed on the ground. Fire was everywhere, the tree was now on fire and the bodies of each chimera was burning from the bullets.

"You sure do like to cause damage to my creations," The man said while crossing his arms. Javad growled and slowly stood up, Calida shook herself and glared at the man, but she was still in shock upon seeing what Javad's alchemy just did.

"The fire will go away soon, and you'll be dying along with it…you created these things?" The man shrugged and looked over as some of the remaining chimeras surrounded him, Javad already wiped out most, if not ninety percent of them all. The man looked like a chimera himself, his head was even turned upside down.

"Why did you do this to my beautiful creations?" Calida was growing more annoyed by the second, she was not having a good time and felt really bad by being touched by Caldor. Yet she couldn't let him get to her, as hard as it was, she knew he was only doing it so that her mental state could be worn down and she could be used as something to create an army with.

"I'm sure my father would love to meet you," Calida said as she slipped her better gloves on. She hated the fact that Caldor found some good gloves for her, but now they were her only line of defense against anything at all. Of course, there was Javad, but she didn't want to be perceived as weak by letting him have all the fun. "Right now I'm a bit ticked off, but are you the serial killer that's been using chimeras against his victims?"

"Yes, that's me." Calida closed her eyes and sighed, then she would have no problem burning him to a crisp, because this man chose the wrong day to show up.

"Do you know who I am?"

"Who are you?" The man tilted his head and finally shook it, she did not strike any memories in his mind. "I wouldn't know you at all, I am sorry if I don't know you."

"Okay, well I'm Calida Mustang, and you've pissed me off!" The man raised his eyebrow and Calida snapped her fingers, grass shot from the ground and gripped the man's legs, causing him to become immobile.

"Ah! Hey! What are you doing, let me go!" Calida narrowed her eyes and snapped her fingers once more, water came from the lake and drenched the man.

"I bet those things are really thirsty, you know, and you probably smell really good!" The man raised his eyebrows and Calida snapped her fingers, the oxygen around the man left and he started to lose all his breathing. The chimeras looked at the man with thirst and he gasped out a noise, he couldn't scream but if he could, he would have because all the chimeras turned and leapt onto him. Javad raised his eyebrow and watched as the chimeras ate the man, Calida snapped her fingers once more and lit all the remaining chimeras on fire.

_"Remind me never to make Calida really mad…again,"_ Javad thought while making his guns vanish. Calida snapped her fingers and caused the water to put out all the fire, she turned to Javad and crossed her arms.

"Javad, you were kind of scary with all that shooting…"

"Yeah, if I'm not careful, I could lose myself while doing all that shooting." Calida raised her eyebrow and Javad let out a sigh. "With such power comes a price, that's why it's best to use that in small quantities. Any more chimeras and I might have lost myself completely, meaning any sense of awareness would be gone and it could be easy to kill me."

"Oh…well thanks for saving me I guess." Calida wrapped her arms around Javad's neck and buried her face into his neck, Javad slowly brought his arms around and rubbed her back. He knew she was probably struggling with what Caldor just did to her, but she was also afraid of losing Javad. "To think this happened because I forgot my sword."

"No, don't say that Calida, it could have happened to anyone. I know the important thing right now is that you're alive and we're safe."

"He touched me again, Javad…I know why, but why can't they do something else? It hurts me, it really hurts!"

"I know it does." Calida let out a sob and the two fell to their knees, Javad made sure to just hold her and speak in a soothing voice.

"You don't know what he did, you can't understand…"

"I know that Calida, but I can be there for you."

"I-I want you to understand it…" Javad blinked and rubbed Calida's back, she groaned and the sharp pain in her thigh region where Caldor grabbed her earlier. "I hate public restrooms, Javad…I hate going to the arena alone, I hate being outside during the time of day. So many things I wasn't afraid of and now I am because of him! He hurt me, Javad, he grabbed my wrists so hard that they bruised." Javad nodded and understood that part, it was why she hadn't wanted him to touch her wrists before.

Calida took a breath and tears started to stream down her face, they were bitter and hot, she was trying so hard to fight the flashback that kept trying to come back. "H-He twisted my arm and hit me against the wall, I hate being pressed against something, every time I am, I just keep thinking he's there."

"Javad, I don't know how you can stand to be with me, you say things that make me thing that you think I look nice, but I'm dirty. I'm ugly and tainted because of Caldor, because of what a close friend did to me! No matter what I do, I'm horrible, what man would possibly love someone who is dirty like me, what man could possibly want _me_?"

Calida buried her face in her hands and sobbed, Javad merely held her and slowly rocked with her, making sure she felt safe and protected. Calida's tears stung her, her chest felt like it was on fire, and her entire body felt cold. Javad ran his hand through her hair and smiled softly at her.

"Calida, listen to me," Javad said in a calm voice. Calida looked at him and saw that he too had tears running down his face, he was crying for her, but she didn't really understand it. "You're beautiful to me and to any man that matters, you're not dirty at all." Calida closed her eyes and Javad took her hand in his, he held it in front of her eyes for her to see. "This is beautiful skin, you are entirely beautiful on the outside. Yet that's not even the end of it, because you have a beautiful inside too, your soul and personality is greater than any other person in this world. You're sweet, funny, you are a pure and graceful girl who has everything going for her. I don't even know how you manage to get through to me half of the time, but without you, I think I'd be pretty bad off. Please, don't call this beautiful angel dirty, because you are the purest person I know."

Calida paused for a moment and saw Javad smile, she closed her eyes and slowly shook her head. "God Javad, you…"

"I mean every word of it, Cali." Javad brought his hand to her face and wiped her tears from her eyes, he brought his lips to her forehead and gently pressed them down. Calida looked at him as he brought his head back, his gentle kiss felt warm to her and somehow, it gave her a sense of security. "Come on, let's get you home, I'm sure they're worried."

"Yeah…I wouldn't want to make them worry about me…" Javad smiled softly and helped Calida to her feet, he took her hand and walked over to a phone booth.

"I'm going to call your dad and have him come pick us up, is that okay with you Calida?" She nodded and followed Javad into the phone booth, she didn't really want to be out there on her own. Javad dialed up the number for Roy and waited as the man answered with a loud yawn. "Hello Mr. Mustang, it's me, Javad…"

"Javad, do you happen to know where my daughter is?" Roy asked from his line of the phone. "I was told earlier that there was a commotion in the streets today, involving you and Calida."

"Yes, we're in the park, can you come and pick us up?"

"Why can't you walk, I'm tired and had a hell of a time talking to your father this morning, though I did get him back in the military."

"Heh, that's Dad for you, but now is a bad time for us to walk, you'll understand, just come pick us up." Roy paused for a moment, possibly thinking and realizing what Javad was talking about.

"I'll be right there, how is she?"

"She seems to be a bit better…"

"Okay." Roy hung up and Javad turned to Calida, now they would just have to wait for Roy to come and get them.

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I hope you liked this, thanks to those who are reviewing, the next chapter will be up soon.


	28. The Homunculi Talk

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Thoughts in _italics_, Speech in regular. This chapter will start off with just a little prior to the fight.

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Chapter 28 (The Homunculi Talk)

Five people sat in a bar, they were each discussing things to come, and Caldor was the one that was the quietest of them all. Next to him was Pride and on the other side of the booth sat Blaze, Bullet, and the awakened Sloth. "I can't believe you haven't managed to get Calida yet!" Blaze said with slight anger in his voice, Caldor rolled his eyes and shrugged. "For the best of us, Hecate's favorite, you sure don't seem to be doing as good a job as we are."

"What exactly have you done?" Caldor asked with a scowl on his face. "The most you've done is kill off one alchemist who didn't even fight back; I've at least given one alchemist a mental break down and nearly killed another one. I'm causing turmoil in the alchemist families and you're doing nothing at all, Lust and Greed got closer than you ever did."

"Lust and Greed died, they were weak." Caldor nodded and crossed his arms, he hated the new Sloth and he hated Pride, he even hated Bullet for some reason. He was the new Envy, that much was evident, and it seemed the name fit him too, which he really disliked. Of course Blaze was the new Gluttony; he always did gorge himself on flames, and that left Bullet as the new Wrath. "Maybe I should handle Calida, and you can deal with someone else." Caldor raised his eyebrow and scoffed, he hadn't heard a dumber idea.

"Why do you say that, only because you are fire? Unfortunately it makes no difference what you are, you forget that Calida is an _elemental_ alchemist? That means that she can control water and put you out like a match." Pride's eyes trailed toward Caldor and narrowed, he shrugged and looked over at the new Sloth, she was Winry, that much was obvious.

"Why not let Winry deal with the Elric family? Surely neither they, nor Calida really could fight her; the same could be said for the rest of the Mustang family. They all knew her in her past life, so that means they would have a hard time fighting her."

"Please, spare me…" Caldor scoffed and narrowed his eyes as he looked out the window; he glanced over at Winry and tapped his chin. "What makes you think that anyway, in my past life, I was Elric's best friend, right? He doesn't seem to have any trouble fighting me. Though is she really ready to fight?"

"I have to kill them," Winry said while looking to the table. She lifted her head and looked out the window, all was silent around her. "I have to kill them, what mother would kill her own child?" Caldor scoffed once more and turned his head, Winry had those pathetic and useless memories, he felt there was no use for such things. "I can kill them, and I will."

_"If she were to die at the hands of the Elrics and to be surrounded by all those that loved her, would she even remember her life as a homunculus?"_ Pride thought while looking at Winry with intensity, he knew she wouldn't, he hoped that was the case. He hated his life as a homunculus, and he felt extreme guilt about his life when he was a human. Greed, Lust and Juliet all did as well, every last one of them did. Being grief stricken, he was sure that if Dante hadn't already been killed, they each would have charged toward Dante with murderous intent. _"Of course Gluttony was the one that killed her, Wrath informed each of us and Wrath was the one with us whenever we awoke. So naturally we remembered more of our homunculus memories than what we should have."_

"So what is everyone going on about anyway?" Bullet asked while crossing his arms. "The Elrics shouldn't be hard to kill, though I really wouldn't mind killing that one bitch." Bullet didn't miss his old life at all, he was perfectly content with being a homunculus, but perhaps that was because he was a vicious psychopath when he was human and he remained the same as a homunculus. "Besides, how can it be hard to kill someone who only has air alchemy and whatever it is that other Elric had?"

Caldor raised his eyebrow and glanced over at Bullet, he remembered the incident the other night with Javad and Calida, he didn't feel like telling Bullet about Javad's alchemy, he was too dumb to get it. "Maybe it wouldn't be hard to kill him, but then who really knows," Caldor stated while leaning back slightly.

"That brings me to another subject, Caldor…you had Calida in the park and then you let her go, why did you do that?" The others all looked over at Caldor; they were interested in what he had to say, and why it was that he released Calida.

"She wasn't ready." Caldor shrugged and leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table and his hands in front of his face. "She is still strong emotionally and mentally, she can still fight back against us all and kill us. I believe it's regardless of whether I'm there or not, she could do it and then where would we be? I will keep attacking her mentally and emotionally until she cracks so hard that she can do nothing but cry when she's in front of us."

"You say she doesn't do that now?" Caldor raised his eyebrow and Bullet thought for a minute, he frowned and let out a sigh. "Yeah, she doesn't, so keep doing whatever it is you're doing, Caldor."

"Trust me; I don't intend to let you or Lady Hecate down." Winry took a bite of the food that was in front of her, she frowned and placed her fork back on the plate, it was disgusting. "How's the food over there, Winry?"

"It's horrible, for a diner, they need better food," Winry stated while slowly shaking her head. Caldor thought the food was fine, most of the homunculi didn't really care. "Do you think we have souls?" All homunculi stopped whatever they were doing and looked over at Winry; none of them were sure how to answer that question.

_"I know I still have my soul,"_ Pride thought while rubbing his chin. _"I still love my wife; I love my son as well."_ Pride glanced over at Caldor and narrowed his eyes, it was possible for a father to love their child no matter what, just as a mother was supposed to do. _"However that is not my son, I know that isn't him, my son's soul is trapped isn't it? He's trapped inside that hollow shell, just as mine was. It's trapped like his mother's was, just like Lust and Greed, the previous Gluttony, Wrath and even Envy. All of our souls are merely trapped inside, but that's only when we're first homunculi…"_ Pride looked out the window and frowned, he pitied Greed and Lust, but he also envied them, for they knew freedom. If they had thought to stand up to Hecate, they wouldn't have been so lucky, she would have made it worse for them all, surely death by the hands of the ones that killed them before was better than death at the hands of Hecate.

"Why would we have souls?" Caldor asked while crossing his arms, he narrowed his eyes and stared at Winry. "If we had souls, surely we would feel such useless things as love and care or the other emotions that we don't feel." Pride raised his eyebrow as Caldor's face tightened; he let out a sigh and shook his head. The owner of the diner walked over to the table and crossed his arms, Caldor glanced up and smirked. "Hey, we like it here; I think we'll stay a little longer."

"I need to close down," the man stated.

"I said we like it here."

"Yeah but-" Caldor stood up and slammed his knife into the man's chest; he pulled it out and stared at the man as he fell to the ground and died. Blaze chuckled and burned the man's body. Caldor left the table area and Pride quickly followed after him, leaving the other homunculi in a state of confusion and a state of carelessness.

"Why the hell are you following me, Pride?" Caldor asked while stepping outside and narrowing his eyes. Pride frowned and crossed his arms, he couldn't understand why even when Juliet knew the price, she still performed a human transmutation on Caldor. She damned her own son; her son can never be free.

"Caldor, you as a homunculi should know, you can feel emotions."

"Shut up; why not call me _Envy_ instead of my human name anyway? I'm not a human, remember? My own mother turned me into this and I am happiest, plus just like the previous Envy, I hate my father." Caldor narrowed his eyes and Pride blinked, okay that was an attack on him, and maybe he deserved it.

"Be lucky people remember your human name; be glad people call you by your human name." Caldor groaned and glared at Pride, that was one reason he hated Pride, because the man always tried to make him remember things that he didn't even care to remember.

"Who remembers my human name? Calida, perhaps, maybe even Javad remembers? Why exactly would I care if they remember, I hate them, in case you have forgotten."

"Do you really hate them, Caldor? Do you hate them?" Caldor paused for a moment and then laughed with a violent and malice filled laugh, Pride winced at the how much hate was in Caldor's voice.

"Of course I do, for one thing, I want to string that bitch up and hang her naked body up for the entire world to see." Pride remained stoic but groaned inwardly, Caldor laughed again and glared at Pride with the most venomous eyes he ever saw. "Then I want to take that pathetic bastard and fill him with so much torment and pain that every ounce of his body is numb! Just remember this, _Pop_, I am the vilest homunculus, so before you start talking to me about emotions and caring, do some research. I hate everyone and everything; there is nothing more in this world that I want other than the blood of my worst enemy."

"And your worst enemy is?" Caldor crossed his arms and scoffed, a smirk formed on his mouth and he slightly tilted his head.

"You know what, if I wasn't so sure of myself, I'd almost say you were starting to doubt what Hecate's goal is. My, it wouldn't be good for you to doubt Hecate, I wonder what she would do if I told her." Pride clenched his fists slightly and Caldor laughed once more, he then watched as Caldor turned around and walked off.

_"Maybe I should kill him too…"_ Pride rubbed his chin and sighed; he narrowed his eyes and smirked. _"The Elrics and Mustangs are all in Risembool once more, aren't they?"_ Pride glanced over and saw Bullet and Blaze walking away, Winry stepped next to Pride and crossed her arms.

"Is something eating Caldor today?" Winry asked with a frown, Pride shrugged and brought his arms down toward his side.

"You want to kill Javad Elric?" Winry looked over at Pride and he smirked. "I hear he is with his sister and grandmother in Risembool, they're alone, I suggest killing them."

"They're alone, you say?" Pride nodded and walked away, he didn't see that Caldor had hidden behind a large wall. Caldor narrowed his eyes and watched as his father walked away from Winry, Winry shrugged and walked away, Caldor decided to take this opportunity to follow her.

_"Let's kill Javad then,"_ Caldor thought with a smirk on his face. _"This will be fun."_

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Hmm, did Pride just lie to Winry? And is something up with Caldor, probably not, but stick around for the next chapter!


	29. Megan and Caldor

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Thoughts in _italics_, Speech in regular. This chapter will start off with just a little prior to the fight.

* * *

Chapter 29 (Megan and Caldor)

"How did I get sucked back into the military?" Ed asked while taking a bite of a roll, Roy smirked and crossed his arms while Calida watched Megan play with Sapphire. "And Pinako, how could you let this bastard get my son into the military?" Pinako smirked and crossed her arms over, she didn't care if Javad was in the military or not.

"I'm an old woman, I'm dying Ed, I would just as soon send my great grandson into the military so he could learn some responsibility and care for Megan when I die. If you had been here, then maybe I would have protested, but I didn't stop you from going in now did I?"

"He joined so he could look for you, Edward," Riza said while chuckling. Ed sighed and crossed his arms, he glanced over at Megan who was playing with the cat. Ed's face softened slightly as he watched the girl play, she reminded him so much of Winry, so carefree and energetic. He frowned and looked over at the group.

"She doesn't even realize her mother is dead," Ed said in a quiet voice. "Even though we can bring Winry back, won't she just have guilt from her life as a homunculus? Would we really want her to go through all of that?" Pinako looked down and sighed; she lifted her head and stared at Ed.

"Do you remember Hoenheim's teachings? He gave a lot of information in his writing," Pinako stated while picking up a plate and placing it in the sink. "I remember reading something about homunculi; the book said that if a homunculus is killed, the soul that is trapped inside of them is free. That soul is their human self, and it's trapped inside of them, when they revert to their human self, they can have their memories attached. Of course, there is a chance they will remember their life as a homunculi, yet I remember reading something about the possibility of them waking and never remembering a thing they did as a homunculus."

"You're saying that we could bring back Winry's memory as if she never lost them?" Pinako nodded and sat down in a chair, she glanced over at Megan and sighed.

"If everyone they cared for in life and the people that cared for them are with them or in the vicinity, they will remember their human memories more. They will not remember anything about their homunculus self."

"I know that would be me, you and Megan, as well as Javad." Javad nodded from his side of the table, he crossed his arms and looked over at Calida.

"Calida is also one," Javad stated. "She and Winry did almost everything together, then there are the Mustangs, but there is just one person that probably wouldn't be here no matter how hard we could get him." Ed raised his eyebrow and Calida looked over at Javad, she could see the sad look in his eyes, the others didn't know yet about Caldor. _"It was Caldor that had been really great friends with Winry as well; we had a lot of fun on weekends and whatnot. Winry always had trouble with the way things were, that Dad left and she had been raped once, Caldor was always there to help when Mom was having mental breakdowns."_ It was ironic really, that Caldor helped Javad calm down Megan and soothe Winry whenever she was crying with her flashbacks of the rape and Ed's leaving. He even helped her so much that the rape had bothered her less and less, he always said that the man that did it was a bastard and how he hated rape. _"He hated it and now look what he's done…damn asshole."_

"Who is this other person, Javad? I don't know any other people." Pinako knew who Javad was referring to and it was horrible really to think that such a good person had become such an evil creature. It was devastating to know that Caldor had raped Calida, Pinako slowly stood up and everyone looked at her. "Are you going somewhere?"

"I just have to check up on something," Pinako responded while walking away. Megan looked up and smiled at everyone; she stood up and crossed her arms.

"I'm going to my room, I want to get some sleep," Megan said with a bright smile. "I'm tired." Megan walked up the stairs and into her bedroom, she wanted to see her mother so badly and hoped one day she would. She stopped and glanced at a large portrait in the hallway, it was a picture of Winry standing behind Javad and Megan. Megan closed her eyes and smiled, she continued to walk toward the room and stopped to turn around, when she turned around she saw Calida looking at her.

"Hey Megan, I was going to help you get tucked into the bed." Megan raised her eyebrow and walked into her bedroom, Calida stepped in and Megan stopped, she turned around and stared at Calida.

"You're not Calida, I know you're not!" Calida raised her eyebrow and clenched her fists lightly; Megan crossed her arms and sighed. "I just feel like you're not her, because you don't look like her." Calida raised her eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Megan, but you shouldn't say something like that."

"No, you look like that mean guy that hurt my brother the other day!" She was referring to the fight that Lust died at. Calida smirked and closed her eyes, at that she transformed back into Caldor, Caldor grinned darkly and looked at Megan.

"I don't know how you figured it out, but not bad at all, kid." Caldor grabbed Megan's shirt and quickly leapt from the window, Megan screamed out but Caldor placed his hand on her mouth as he landed on a tree branch. He glanced down and frowned as he spotted Winry walking down the path. "Keep quiet, kid." Caldor leapt from the tree and rushed into the woods.

"Let me go, you're not Caldor, I know you're not because Caldor was nice!" Caldor laughed and rolled his eyes.

"Well I got news for you, Brat…I'm Caldor in the flesh." Megan screamed out and beat her closed fists onto Caldor's back.

"No you're not; you're not him…Big Brother! Daddy, Big Sis, help!" Caldor rolled his eyes and ran into a cave, he placed Megan on the ground and stood near the entrance.

"Just shut up, there's a reason you're here right now." Caldor turned around and narrowed his eyes, he wasn't sure how Megan could see through his disguise as Calida, but he didn't care. He was about to take off but stopped when he heard Megan let out a small whine, he growled slightly and turned around. "What is your problem?"

"You're going to leave me here, but I don't want you to do that because I'm scared of this cave." Megan looked into the darker area of the cave and her body shook slightly; Caldor raised his eyebrow and crossed his arms. "I never come here without Big Brother or Big Sis."

"Big Sis, who's that, is that supposed to be Calida?" Megan nodded and Caldor let out a sigh, he stepped next to Megan and leaned against the wall. "I see…you must think very highly of her then."

"Yeah, and I think highly of my other Big Brother too!" Caldor rolled his eyes and glanced over at Megan, so his human form had always been the one Megan called that, and now he despised it just as he despised Megan. "When is he coming back? They didn't bury my other Big Brother, and now he acts mean to my Big Brother and my Big Sis." Caldor scoffed and glanced toward the outside of the cave, he didn't see what the point of this girl was.

"Your other big brother is dead; his soul is gone, departed from this world and all, so get over it." Megan narrowed her eyes and stared at Caldor, Caldor growled when he felt her non wavering eyes on him. "What is so damn interesting about me? Stop staring at me, brat!"

"You're wrong, you're just an evil shell, he never left at all, and his soul is just stuck inside you!"

"Shut up, you don't know anything at all, _brat_." Caldor scowled and continued to gaze out of the cave, he was growing tired of hearing the girl's incessant chattering. "Do you realize that I raped Calida, and I'll keep trying too! Not only that, but I'm going to kill that brother of yours, and your father as well. Your entire family will suffer at my hands, and you just don't know it yet." Megan clenched her fists and walked over to Caldor, he raised his eyebrow as she stared into his eyes.

"You're being mean, Caldor would _never_ say those things!" Caldor rolled his eyes and let out a frustrated and annoyed sigh. "Caldor was nice, he loved Big Brother and Big Sister, I know you're not evil, because Caldor isn't evil!"

"Yeah, you know what…" Caldor scoffed and pushed himself off of the wall. "Don't say such stupid and idiotic things."

"Then why am I still alive, if you're a mean jerk who wants to be evil, why did you not kill me?" Caldor narrowed his eyes and glared at Megan, he could kill her if he wanted, and he didn't know why he didn't go ahead and do that.

"Thanks for giving me the idea, pipsqueak, I suppose I should let you know that right now there's a homunculus attacking your family."

"So you brought me out here so I wouldn't get killed by the other homunculus thing?" Caldor groaned and glanced to the side, he wasn't sure why he brought the girl back.

"Whatever…you can rot in this cave for all I care." Caldor started to walk away but stopped when Megan grabbed his arm, he narrowed his eyes and glared into Megan's determined and fierce eyes. "What the hell do you think you're trying to accomplish by this? You don't realize that you're grabbing the arm of someone who could kill you!"

"You won't kill me Caldy…I know you won't." Caldor coughed and raised his eyebrows.

"C-Caldy…who the hell are you calling that!"

"You used to always let me call you that, remember? Don't you remember?" Caldor blinked and stared into Megan's eyes once more, he growled and clenched his fists.

"Damn it, no I don't remember and I don't intend to you little brat!" Caldor swiftly brought his hand over and clenched it around Megan's throat, he lifted the girl up and pressed her against the wall. Megan grabbed his arm and continued to stare into Caldor's eyes, tears started to sting her cheeks as she bit her tongue and fought the urge to scream and cry. Caldor narrowed his eyes and lifted his fist. "Damn you, why don't you scream, you're annoying with your little shrill voice, you know that?!"

"If you're going to kill me, then go ahead, but Big Brother and Big Sis will kill you." Caldor tilted his head back and laughed violently, he was sure they wouldn't be doing a thing to him.

"Please, they're weak as it is! They can't do a thing to me if they tried, so don't give me any of that." Caldor narrowed his eyes and stared into Megan's, he was ready to kill the little girl if he had to. _"Screw the memories and all that crap, I hate you!"_ Caldor thrust his fist toward Megan's face and then stopped, his eyes widening as Megan closed her eyes. Caldor closed his eyes and groaned as a memory surged into his head.

_"Caldor, why is Javad so sad?" Megan asked, the little eight year old girl was sitting next to Caldor while he was eating a sandwich. "And why is Mommy always sad?" Caldor shrugged when in truth he knew the day was the anniversary of when Ed left Winry's world and on this day it was the saddest time for Javad and Winry. Megan had no clue, and Caldor never knew if she'd ever know her father and make pleasant memories with him, or if her family would ever be whole._

_"Maybe it has something to do with today," Caldor said while looking up. There were dark clouds in the sky and a storm was rolling through, it would probably start raining in the next ten minutes._

_"Well I'm going to make both my mommy and brother happy!" Caldor raised his eyebrow and looked at Megan, he chuckled and a smile formed on his lips. He always admired how Megan was so determined to make others around her happy, even when things were bad, she was always the one to be optimistic and find out if she could possibly make anything better._

_"Maybe I should help you do that, Megan." Megan smiled and nodded in response._

_"You're a good person Caldor, you have a big heart." Caldor grinned and Megan giggled, he had some sauce on his mouth. "Clean off your mouth!" Caldor blinked and wiped his mouth off, it was easy to get food on his face for some reason._

_"Yeah, yeah…thanks anyway Megan. You know, you must have a gift to see into people's souls or something, because I guarantee you, I'm always going to try my best to be a good person."_

Caldor growled and Megan's body shook slightly, his hand twitched and Megan slowly opened her eyes and looked at Caldor. "Y-You said you'd always be good and I believe you, that's why deep down, I know your heart is in there somewhere."

"Damn it, I'm evil, don't you get that!" Caldor set Megan on the ground and snarled, he turned his back to her and started to walk away. "You can rot in this cave, have a good and short life!" Before she could say anything else, Caldor quickly sped off and away from the cave.

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Hmm, Caldor has some memories, what is going on here I wonder. Megan sees through him, and what will happen now? Stick around for the next chapter


	30. Saving Winry

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Thoughts in _italics_, Speech in regular. This chapter will start off with just a little prior to the fight.

* * *

Chapter 30 (Saving Winry)

Calida walked up the stairs of the house, she thought she heard Megan let out a scream and she decided to check it out. She walked down the hall and looked into Megan's room, the girl was nowhere to be seen. "Megan? Megan, where are you?" Calida asked as she glanced around the large room, she needed to know if the girl was safe. Calida turned around and quickly walked down the stairs, she looked in the room and saw everyone gathered in a circle. "Hey, did Megan come back here?" Javad looked over and stood up, he didn't know what Calida was talking about, and Megan didn't come back down the stairs..

"What are you talking about, Megan should be in her room, Calida," Javad stated while crossing his arms. Everyone else stood up and Calida shook her head, with that Javad's eyes widened and he was the first to rush upstairs and into Megan's room. She wasn't there, and Pinako was actually missing as well, he had to make sure that no one else decided to vanish, but of course he was starting to panic.

"Where is she?" Ed asked as he stepped in the room, he was growing more fearful as well, he didn't want to lose Megan when he just started to be a dad to her. "Where is Megan?" He wondered if she realized this was the day that he left Winry behind, and maybe she was running away because she realized that he was really an asshole who probably didn't care about her mother. "You don't think this has anything to do with me, do you?" Javad rolled his eyes and Calida let out a quick sigh, of course it didn't have anything to do with him.

"Dad, Megan's gone missing and I hardly doubt it has anything to do with you! Oh no…" Javad's eyes widened and he looked over at Calida. "What if it was a homunculus that took her? Pinako's gone too, so it could be that!" He started to rub his forehead and pace about the room, he wasn't having any fun at all now and everyone else was starting to grow weary by watching him. Calida quickly grabbed Javad's shoulders and shook him slightly.

"Get a grip, let's just go out and look for her, okay? I'm sure we will find her, she can't have gone far from here," Calida said in a calm voice. Javad smiled and nodded his head, there was something about her voice that always seemed to relax his nerves. With that, Javad and Calida rushed out of the room, everyone else followed them out the door of the house.

"Okay, so maybe we should split up here and search for her," Roy said while looking around the area. Riza nodded and shifted her gaze across the field, Calida placed her hand over the top of her eyes and looked in the distance.

"I think I'll go search this way…"

"Wait, Calida!" Javad exclaimed, stopping Calida from running off. She turned around and narrowed her eyes, wondering what he would stop her from searching for Megan for. "What if a homunculus took her, there's only one homunculus that we know of that knows of this place!" Calida's eyes widened slightly and she shrugged, but he did have a point and the thought of Caldor watching her was scary.

"We'll go with you," Riza said while placing her hand on Calida's shoulder. Roy stepped next to the women and smiled at Javad.

"You and Fullmetal go search around that way," Roy stated while pointing to the left. "We'll go search this way, she's probably in one of the caves or something." Javad nodded and the Fuhrer's family ran off toward the caves, Javad and Ed started to run in the other direction until Ed glanced to the side and froze up completely. Javad stopped running and looked back, his dad was staring at something that he didn't see, and it seemed to captivate him.

"What the hell is so damn interesting?" Javad asked while glaring at Ed, Ed slowly took a step back and Javad rolled his eyes. He stepped next to Ed and glanced over, his eyes widened when he saw Winry leaning against a tree, a wide smirk was on her face.

"I-I knew you transmuted her and I knew what to expect, but it's still so shocking to see her as a homunculus," Ed said in a quiet voice. Javad nodded his head and silently gulped as Winry pushed herself from the tree and stepped toward them. She wore a red bandana and instead of her usual blonde hair, it was black. She had a long black dress and black gloves that extended up her arms and stopped just before reaching the shoulder.

"Hello Elrics, it's been a while, hasn't it?" Winry asked with an evil look on her face. "Pride told me Javad was here on his own, but I'm shocked to find out that his father's here…but this hurts me."

"What hurts?" Ed chuckled nervously and Javad shook slightly, he hadn't thought that he'd end up fighting his own mother, but Ed was already experienced enough as it was in fighting people that he knew and loved. "I know you'll be able to play mind tricks with Javad, but not with me, I had to fight a homunculus with the face of my own mother."

"Oh really, well it shouldn't be a bother fighting me, it seems that you didn't care at all about the human form here."

"That's not true! I loved Winry very much, and I fought despretly to get back to her!" Winry laughed and shook her head, it was obvious she knew what to use to attack Ed with and she already knew what she could do to attack Javad.

"Yeah that's right, you just had to wait until I _died_ before you came back for me, that's all!" Ed clenched his fists and growled, he tried with all his strength to get back and in the end, it had been a homunculus transmuting her own son that opened the gates. Never again would they reopen, and never again would Ed think about the other world or what he had left behind in that world. He would have loved to return to his brother, but he had to make that decision.

"I chose you!" Winry raised her eyebrow and Javad glanced over at Ed as he shouted at Winry. "I made the choice to either stay with Al and my nephew or come back for you and my children, and that's what I did, I chose you. So don't give me this bullshit about how I didn't want to come back, don't give me that crap and don't try to tell me that you are Winry, you are _not_ Winry!" Ed charged toward Winry and transmuted his blade, Javad watched with wide eyes as Ed struck Winry in the shoulder with his blade.

"Ah!" Winry grabbed her shoulder and winced, she looked over at Javad with pleading eyes. "Javad, would you let this man hurt your own mother?" Javad stared in shock and he remembered the string of nightmares he had been having, he remembered the homunculi form of Calida in his nightmares and how in each one, he had to fight her. Every time he fought her, he got better at handling her, Javad swallowed his emotions and looked at the image of his mother.

"You are not my mother, I won't fall for it," Javad stated. In the past few days, Ed had told him constantly about when he had to fight off his mom as Sloth, and he said that when the time came to fight Winry, it would probably be difficult for him to do. Javad glanced over at his father who had a small smile on his face, that smile turned to a frown and Ed gave a determined look. He gestured for Javad to begin fighting, Javad nodded and charged toward Winry while Ed began to draw a large circle.

"You would fight me?" Winry laughed and slapped Javad with a long, watery limb, Ed raised his eyebrow and glanced over, he smirked and continued drawing the circle. Javad transmuted a machinegun out of his automail and began shooting at Winry, she turned into water and let the bullets fly through her. "How could you, Javad? How could you!" Javad stopped shooting, a look of shame appeared on his face, he saw his mother as a puddle of water and stepped back while shaking.

"Stop that, son!" Ed exclaimed. "She's going to reform, get out of there!" Winry came from the puddle and wrapped her limbs around Ed, she started to pull him in, only to have Javad blow another huge hole into her, she gasped and released Ed.

"Sorry, but I can't call you mom and I can't let you hurt dad," Javad said quietly. "He came back to see Mom, so we're going to bring her back whether you want to or not!" Javad took out a locket and thrust it toward Winry, it landed at her feet and caused her to freeze up.

"What the hell?" Winry looked down and Javad let out a frown as he walked over to her.

"That locket holds part of your bone…" Javad glanced to the side and closed his eyes, images of the night he transmuted his mother shot through his head, Ed knew how Javad was feeling and it was hard on him as well.

"Javad, wait…let me talk." Winry looked down and clenched her fists while Javad spoke. "Do you not see, I am not human as you know, so who am I? I have these memories of being your mother, but I can't be your mother, and I need to prove it to myself…a mother wouldn't kill her own son."

"Don't talk like that!" Ed shouted. He could remember Sloth saying the same things to him when he fought her, he didn't need Winry saying the things she was saying to Javad.

"If I was your mother…I might love you, but I can't and these memories I have must die along with you." Javad's body started to shake and he fought to keep his own tears down. "I should hate you, you created me and made me who I was."

"Javad, this is just the shape that your sins have taken!"

"I know that, Dad!" Javad leapt back as Winry kicked the locket away from her and slashed at him with a watery limb. Javad transmuted his blade and charged toward Winry, he leapt forward and slashed down her with his automail blade.

"You would strike your own mother?" Winry asked while reforming together.

"Sodium Javad, think Sodium!" Ed shouted while finishing the transmutation circle. He charged toward Winry and grabbed her, he tossed her onto the circle and then kicked the locket onto her. Winry got onto her hands and knees and started to vomit, she coughed violently and then slowly stood up. Javad shouted as he charged toward Winry and thrust his blade into her, Winry screamed and Javad clenched his eyes shut as he started to use his alchemy, transmuting his arm into sodium and causing Winry to explode.

"Dad…I-is she dead now?" Javad asked while stepping back from the large puddle of water, Ed shook his head and placed his hand on Javad's shoulder, knowing full well what would be happening in a minute. They watched as Winry slowly started to reform.

"You can't kill me," Winry said with a slight laugh. Ed closed his eyes and charged toward her, she gasped as he took a box from his pocket and thrust it into her chest. "What is this!" Winry shook and froze slightly, Ed turned around and looked at Javad.

"Remember this," Ed said quietly. "When I fought Greed many years ago, it was then that I learned I could rearrange the chemicals in his body, not only can we rearrange the elements of part of the body, we can rearrange the elements of a whole body."

"What are you saying, Dad?" Javad asked with wide eyes. Winry blinked and shook once more, she couldn't move her body but she knew full well what Ed was talking about.

"Homunculi aren't human, they are just the shell and to her I will do the same that I had done to the Sloth before, I will restructure all the water molecules inside of her into ethanol…or you could do it, but I don't think you want to do that to the image-"

"She's not my mother." Ed raised his eyebrow and Javad clenched his fists, he walked to Winry and stared into her eyes. "When we destroy this outer shell, mom's soul will be released and she'll come back as a human, right?" Ed nodded and Javad clasped his hands together, he then pressed his hands to Winry's arm and sent an alchemic reaction into her. He watched as Winry started to glow, he fell to his knees as Winry started to evaporate, Ed placed his hand on Javad's shoulder and closed his eyes.

"You did well, Javad…" He knew he shouldn't be praising Javad for killing his own mother, but it wasn't really his mother as they had already figured out, so he praised Javad on doing something that was so hard to do.

"What happens now, where will she appear?" Ed rubbed his chin and let out a sigh, he looked over to see Calida walking toward them, Javad raised his eyebrow and slowly stood up. "Calida, have you found Megan yet?"

"Uh, not quite," Calida said while crossing her arms. "But we're definitely looking, if you're wondering where her human form will appear, it will reform right where you're standing. Either that or the place she died, just hang around here for a few minutes and if she's not here, she's at the place she died." Calida glanced over and chuckled, she quickly turned around and ran off.

"Where are you going!" Javad shrugged and looked to the ground, they saw Winry's body starting to form, which was odd because it hadn't been a long time. Ed knelt beside Winry and smiled, it was her, he could see it. She had the same sweet smell and the same honey colored hair that she always had, she was wearing a red bandana, white tank top and blue jeans.

"I-It's her," Ed said in a quiet voice. Tears started to escape his eyes as Javad knelt beside Winry, he couldn't be happier that Winry was there. Roy, Riza, Calida and Megan all ran toward them, they smiled when they saw Winry, knowing full well that she would be okay.

"Mommy is going to be okay?" Megan asked. Calida nodded and Roy ordered everyone to help pick Winry up off the ground, they looked over and saw Pinako walking toward them.

"Some idiot locked me in the basement, who locks an old woman in the basement!" Pinako exclaimed. Megan blinked and then smiled, she knew it was Caldor and she knew why. She heard all the talk of her mother being a homunculus and she believed her brother was going to fix that, and maybe Caldor didn't want her or Pinako to see Javad and Ed fighting Winry. "What is everyone waiting for? Get Winry inside and on a bed! We need to help piece her memory together!" Everyone nodded and lifted Winry, they hurried toward the house and didn't notice Caldor stalking them from behind.

* * *

Okay, I hope you liked this chapter, drop a few reviews.


	31. Remembering Oneself

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Thoughts in _italics_, Speech in regular. This chapter will start off with just a little prior to the fight.

* * *

Chapter 31 (Remembering Oneself)

Winry walked around the darkness, she was trying to feel around for a light or something she could grasp on to. "Who am I, where am I?" Winry asked as she placed her hands on her head. "Someone help me; give me a light or something! I need something, hey, is anybody around here?!" Winry was growing more and more frightened of where she was at, she needed something but she didn't know what it was. "Who am I!"

"Why, you are Winry Rockbell," A voice stated from behind. Winry turned around and saw three figures, one of which was Alphonse Elric and the other two were her parents. She didn't recognize them at all, she glanced over to see Caldor smiling at her.

"Who are you people, do I know you?" Caldor nodded and stepped next to Al.

"I'm visiting you from my son's power," Al said with a smile. "Caldor and your parents are here with you, well Caldor's host body is outside of your body. Everyone who cares for you is outside right now, they're calling for you, they wish to guide you and remind you of whom you are."

"You're not going to remember your life as a homunculus," Caldor said while smirking. "I will be sure of that one, do you not remember what my alchemy was?" Winry gave Caldor a confused look and Caldor merely shook his head, he smiled gently and walked over to Winry. "I'm going to arrange your memory, and it's going to work best with your family by your side. If you look, you'll see your first memory coming up." Caldor pointed and Winry soon saw herself in a hospital room.

_"She's so beautiful," Mr. Rockbell said while sitting next to his wife, their little girl was crying while in the arms of Mrs. Rockbell. "She's going to grow up to be a great woman, I just know it!"_

_"Yes, let's name her Winry, that was my grandmother's name," Mrs. Rockbell said with a bright smile. "Winry, beautiful little Winry Rockbell, my angel. My precious baby, hello, I am your mother."_

_"Look at those beautiful blue eyes, they're just like yours." Mr. Rockbell smiled and hugged his wife, the baby looked up with bright eyes and waved her arms around._

"M-My mom and my dad, those are my parents and I'm Winry Rockbell?" Winry asked while extending her arm out. Her eyes widened and her arm lowered, another memory surged through her and she found herself as a little girl.

_Pinako Rockbell frowned while turning from the doorway, she stared at Winry, Al and Ed with a sad look and closed her eyes. Winry looked up and tilted her head to the side and Pinako spoke with a shaky voice. "Winry dear, your mother and father…"_

"Dead, they died didn't they?" Winry asked with a tear falling from her eyes. "They were killed in the Ishbalian war, innocent doctors, kind and they never did anything wrong in their lives."

"Unfortunately that is true," Caldor said with a frown. He closed his eyes and pointed his hand toward another image.

_Winry watched as Pinako opened the door, a large suit of armor stood in the doorway and was holding a small boy in its arms, Winry screamed when she realized who the boy was. "Edward!" _

Winry held her hands to her chest and frowned, Edward and Alphonse Elric, she didn't know why it hurt to remember them. Caldor looked at her with a sad look, Winry knew they didn't die, but she didn't know why it hurt so badly. "What happened, they never died, they're alive. I mean that memory is from when they transmuted their mother, God I hated Alchemy so much and that's why right there! Ed lost his arm and his leg, Al his body, we had to attach automail to his arm and leg." Winry chuckled and another tear fell down her cheeks. "He kept breaking my automail no matter what, I remember now, he kept coming back with it all shattered and broken."

"That's true," Al said while crossing his arms. "But no matter what, you loved to see him and each time he came back, you were happiest. Even if it was when he broke your automail." Al chuckled at the memories and Winry smiled softly.

"My god I was big on wrenches back then, wasn't I?" Al laughed and Caldor looked slightly confused, Al pointed forward and another memory came.

_Winry looked out the window and saw Ed with Al in a box, he broke his automail once more and Al was in pieces, again. Winry shouted and threw a wrench toward Ed, but this time he caught it in his other hand and smirked. "Not this time Winry, we need some new automail now!" Ed exclaimed._

_"Shut up Edward, why the hell do you always screw up the automail I make for you! I slave for hours and hours and you still ruin it!" Winry shouted at Ed, he shrugged and walked inside with Al. Winry growled and hurried down the stairs, she grabbed a wrench and swiftly slammed it against Ed's head. "And that one is for getting cocky and catching that last wrench!"_

_"Damn it Winry, you're never going to cut that out are you!"_

_"I will stop doing that once you stop ruining my automail!"_

"I don't get it, I loved whenever he came by with broken automail, because it was one of the only times that I ever saw him," Winry said with another tear. "Why does it still hurt so much to remember him?"

"You'll find that out soon," Caldor said with a sigh. "You will find out very soon actually."

"I loved him didn't I?"

"Yes, and he's calling out to you right now."

_"Winry, wake up! Come on, I'm back Winry, I'm back damn it!" _Ed's voice shouted.

_"Miss Rockbell, you have to wake up," _Riza's voice said from nowhere.

"Who is that?" Winry asked. Caldor stretched out his arm and another image came.

_Roy sat at his desk while Riza sat in another, Winry barged into the room and placed her hands on the desk. Riza groaned as Winry started to shout at Roy, he remained stoic. "Why! Why did you do it? Why did you shoot my parents like that?"_

_"It was an order, I didn't want to do such a thing, I know that nothing I will ever say can change that," Roy said with a sigh. "You have to believe me though, if I could turn back the hands of time, I would stop it from ever happening."_

"My god I remember now, I was always upset with him for that. I forgave him though, didn't I? I mean, there was a time when I stopped yelling at him constantly, right?"

"Yes, there was," Caldor said with a sigh. "You didn't stay mad at them forever."

_Now older, Winry was holding her stomach as she ran to Roy and Riza's home, she was crying harder than she ever cried in her life. She hit the door and Riza opened it, she blinked and Winry fell into her arms. "What's wrong, Winry?" Riza asked._

_"Mrs. Mustang, he left me! Edward left…" Riza hugged Winry and led her into the room, she let the girl sit down on the couch and Roy walked in._

_"What's going on?" Roy asked while rubbing his neck with a towel, he had just got done working out on an exercise machine. "You say Ed left, we know that."_

_"But he and I…we made love, I know I asked him to do it, but I didn't think he was serious about leaving. I'm such a fool, I'm so stupid!" Roy blinked and looked at Riza sadly, Riza hugged Winry close and rocked with her._

_"It's okay, you're fine," Riza said in a calm and soothing voice. "We're here for you."_

"Oh, that's why," Winry said with yet another tear rolling down her cheek. "I know I was pregnant then, I had a child and I didn't tell Mr. or Mrs. Mustang, why didn't I?"

"You were afraid," Caldor stated with a slightly grim tone of voice. "You didn't want to tell _anybody_ about him, only Pinako would ever know."

"Wake up," Calida's voice called out. "You have to wake up, and if you don't, then you force me to set you on fire."

"Calida, you wouldn't set my mother on fire!" Javad exclaimed. Winry chuckled and wiped a tear from her eyes, she remembered Calida well as Javad's best friend.

_"Miss Rockbell, do you hate me?" Young Calida asked while staring at the ground, she was sitting down and no tears were running down her cheeks. Winry sat down next to Calida and raised her eyebrow. "I know my dad is responsible for doing something to your parents, do you hate him, and do you hate me?"_

_"No," Winry responded with a small smile. "No I do not hate you, the only one I hate is the man that raped me years ago. Of course, how could I hate the beautiful angel that came from it, my beautiful daughter. I love you as well, just like my own child, and that is because you are always with my son. You make each other happy, and I could never hate someone that brings such happiness into my home."_

_"Really, I would think you have enough happiness."_

_"I wouldn't say that, Javad doesn't know his father and Megan never knew a father either, but if they knew him, it would bring me so much joy. I wish I could see Ed once more, but I know it will never happen."_

_"He left you? I'm sorry…I would hate for that to happen to me…"_

_"Oh and I hope it never happens to you. I'm just saying though, for me I probably will never see him. I have a disease that was given to me by the man that raped me, I will die in a few years I'm sure."_

_"No! You can't die, you make Javad so happy, me too!" Winry chuckled and hugged Calida close._

"I have a disease, I'm dead then?" Caldor shook his head and crossed his arms.

"No, you're alive, when you awake you will no longer have this illness that once claimed your own life. You'll find some odd things have happened since your death, namely Javad attempting a human transmutation." Winry gasped lightly and looked over at Caldor.

"My son attempted a transmutation? No, it can't be…"

"Yes, and well you're going to find something else that isn't too pleasant to hear and it involves Calida. I am now a homunculus, and I am unlike most of them because of what my alchemy was. As you know, I was a light alchemist, and I could control the soul, memories and had some pretty nice powers. Well now I'm like that homunculus that you remember Ed fighting years before, what was his name?"

"Envy…"

"Ah, yeah that's right! Well you see…it wasn't really me, but it definitely came out like this…but it appears there's a leader of homunculi named Hecate, the daughter of Dante and she has ordered the homunculus, Caldor to tear down Calida by raping."

"What!" Winry's eyes were large and Caldor let out a sigh, his time was running out, and it appeared Al's was as well.

"My son's powers have worn out," Al said quietly. "Though you'll be waking up soon and you'll know everything about you."

"You will not remember your homunculus life," Caldor said while he and Al started to fade away. "Well, looks like I'm out, enjoy yourself Winry, and be happy that you've been given this second chance!"

"Yeah, I know several people that are going to be happy about you being alive."

"Heh, Lord knows that's true. Do you realize that I had to open the gate, just to make you and Calida happy? They all think it was just because my mother transmuted me, but she really just strengthened and awakened the bulk of my power. Well Winry, I guess I'll be seeing you later, Al…maybe not." Winry raised her eyebrow and Caldor faded away, along with her parents and Al. But in their place, Roy, Riza, Ed, Javad, Calida, Pinako, and Megan appeared, they all shouted for Winry to wake up. She thought she saw Caldor clasping his hands together, and when he did, a bright shining light shot out all around her, she lifted her hands in front of her eyes and clenched her eyes shut from the pain.

**-NEW SCENE-**

Winry opened her eyes and saw everyone staring at her with various emotions running across their faces. Winry wiped her eyes and groaned, she felt like she had just awakened from a dream. "W-What happened to me just now?" Winry asked with a sigh.

"Mom, you're awake!" Javad exclaimed. Megan squealed with joy and Calida smiled as she helped Winry sit up, Winry smiled and let Megan hug her, she hugged Javad as well. Winry glanced over at Pinako who was looking at Winry as though the biggest nightmare of her life was over.

"Grandma, I thought I was dying, but now it feels like I am no longer in pain. What happened, wasn't I dead just now?" Pinako shook her head and smiled through her tears, she hugged Winry close and sighed.

"No dear, you were just in a long sleep and now you're awake," Pinako said in a quiet voice.

"It's good to see you awake now, Miss Rockbell," Roy said with a soft smile. "I could say Winry, so I will, it's good to see you."

"You're all healed up too," Riza stated. "You would never believe it, but we found a cure for that illness." Winry chuckled and wiped her eyes once more, because of her vision, she thought she had seen two of Javad. When her vision cleared, she didn't see two of her son, she saw Ed in the full.

"E-Ed, what are you doing here?" Winry asked with wide eyes. Ed smiled nervously and Winry blinked, she was shocked that he was actually standing in front of her.

"I came back for you, Winry," Ed said with a quiet voice. "I finally found a way to come back, it took me sixteen years but I did it."

"It took you…you fool, you spent sixteen years just to find a way back to me?" Ed nodded and Winry felt a tear roll down her cheek, she smiled and felt Ed hug her.

"I'm sorry it took so long for me to get to you, God I am so sorry that I left you behind. I love you, Winry, I will never leave you behind again, I promise you, I'm here to stay. If you want to hit me for leaving you behind, go for it, I'll accept it. I'll take a wrench to the head any day rather than to go sixteen years without seeing you, holding you, or just being with you. You are the most important woman to me in this world, in any world, and I wouldn't trade that for anything."

"Ed…" Riza smiled while Roy placed his arm around her waist, she rested her head on his shoulder and let at tear fall from her eye. Pinako and Megan stared on with interest, they were both ecstatic but both were thinking separate thoughts, yet happy to see Ed and Winry finally back. Calida wiped a tear from her face and Javad raised his eyebrow, he wondered why she would be crying, but then it was an emotional time and just about everyone was crying for this, even he was. He felt Calida take his hand, he wasn't sure what this gesture meant, but he wasn't about to pull away. Caldor looked through a window with narrow eyes, he looked sick and ready to vomit at the good emotions running through the room, he swiftly turned around and left.

"I love you Winry, I always have and I always will, we have two beautiful children and I wouldn't leave any of you for the world."

"Is this really happening?"

"He came back for you," Calida said in a quick voice. "You should be happy, because he loves you, he spent so much time trying to come back. You know you still love him, would you deny that?"

"No, I wouldn't deny it." Winry slowly wrapped her arms around Ed's neck and gazed into his eyes, how relaxing it was for her to gaze into his eyes after all those years. She slowly closed her eyes and brought her lips to his, she felt him deepen the kiss and send warmth flowing throughout her body, it was a feeling that was real enough and a feeling that warmed her cold exterior. When they parted lips, they kept their gaze locked on one another, it was a feeling that was real enough to her. "I just needed to know that you really came back for me and I wasn't imagining anything."

"Were you imagining anything just now?" Winry smiled softly and slowly shook her head, she couldn't deny that the beating of her heart and the feel of Ed's arms around her was more real than anything she ever felt in her lifetime.

"Hey dad, I've been meaning to do this," Javad said with a smirk. He walked over to Ed and placed his hands on Ed's automail, he sent an alchemic reaction and blew up his father's automail. "Oops, it looks like you lost your automail."

"Yeah, I guess I did." Ed chuckled and closed his eyes, a smirk formed at his lips and he opened his eyes to gaze at the angelic beauty in front of him. "Winry, I have two things I want to ask you, but one is going to have to wait until after the first. Would you put some new automail on me, I'd rather not be in pain for the next question I have for you." Winry raised her eyebrow and all the women in the room smiled with bright eyes.

"Yeah, I'll put some automail on you, but you're going to have to wait until I rest. God, I don't know how long I've been bedridden, a month maybe?"

"Yeah, probably, we're going to have a lot to explain to you after this, so we'll let you rest." Calida crossed her arms and smiled softly, she turned around and everyone looked at her as she started to walk away.

"I'm going to make some soup for her," Calida said while walking out of the room. Winry smiled and then frowned, she remembered that Javad had left Calida behind in the world just as Ed had done her, and it seemed that Al was nowhere to be seen.

"So, does anyone want to explain what all I may have missed?" Winry asked with concern, she tried to read the expressions on everyone's face, and each of them held different emotions.

"Yeah, let's get started on explaining a few things," Javad stated as he pulled a few chairs around Winry's bed.

* * *

Okay, well it seems Winry has her memories back. Nothing to big there, drop a review.


	32. Filling in the Details

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Thoughts in _italics_, Speech in regular. This chapter will start off with just a little prior to the fight.

A/N: This may be the only time I'm doing this, three chapters in one. Doesn't really matter much though, just read and drop a review.

* * *

Chapter 32 (Filling in the Details)

Calida walked into the room with a tray of food, there was a soup bowl and a plate that had some light food. "We'll start you out small for now," Calida said while placing the tray over Winry on the bed. She noticed everyone sitting down, so she sat down in the chair between her mom and dad. "Okay, so what did I miss?"

"That's my question, sweetie," Winry said with a light smile. She took the spoon and brought the soup to her lips, she took it in her mouth and swallowed. Ed watched this graceful action with adoration, he couldn't help it, he hadn't seen Winry in sixteen years after all. "So, what _did_ I miss?"

"Do you want us to start you off at the beginning, or do you want us to skip the annoying and boring parts?" Calida narrowed her eyes and glanced at Javad, he couldn't help but feel like somehow, she just attacked him.

"Please tell me everything, I'm interested on your status right now as well Calida." Winry glanced over at Ed and smiled softly, she then frowned and tilted her head. "What about Al, is he around?"

"He's still in the other world," Ed said while letting out a small sigh. "I would have brought him with us, but he said he couldn't come, he had to stay with his wife and kid." Ed crossed his arms and shrugged his shoulders at the thought, he missed his brother but he was fine with his brother being with his kid in the other world. "His wife died, but he still stayed with his kid, and I'm not exactly sure how the gate between the worlds opened…"

"It was Caldor," Javad said quietly. "Mom, you remember C…that guy, right?" Winry nodded and raised her eyebrow, everybody's faces changed to looks of disdain at the mention of Caldor's name and Calida's body shook slightly. "Somehow he opened the gate, Dad and I managed to come back for you, but when I came back…something happened to my arm." Javad moved his arm forward and Winry's eyes grew large as she spotted Javad's automail. "Megan is just like you when it comes to automail, it's not even funny." Winry chuckled lightly and let out a sigh, at least she knew she would have help for whenever Ed or Javad lost their automail.

"I'm not pregnant," Calida said with a soft smile. Winry smiled back at her and took a sigh, though they would have loved the baby if she was, it was still a great relief that she wouldn't worry about being a mom too soon.

"That's the least of my worries now," Javad stated while crossing his arms. "Mom, that guy, he died by the way." Winry raised her eyebrow and Javad shut his eyes, she wasn't sure why he was referring to his friend in such a manner. "His mom performed a human transmutation on him and he became a homunculus, it was around that time that the gate opened for the last time and let Dad and I come back through."

"If you don't mind me asking, why is everyone so shaken over the mention of Caldor?" Winry asked while moving the spoon to her lips once more. Javad glanced over at Calida and stood up, he took her hand and pulled her up.

"Come on Calida, let's let them talk for a moment…Megan, you too!" Megan got up and followed Javad and Calida out of the room, Winry blinked and looked over.

"Calida was raped by the homunculus of Caldor," Ed said in a quiet voice. Winry gasped and her spoon fell back into the bowl, she immediately felt a desire to run to Calida and give her a hug and offer her any advice that she could. She knew it wouldn't be good if she did that though, but she couldn't believe Calida had been raped, it was too shocking and too disturbing to even imagine.

"Oh my god…Caldor did it? I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to bring up such a sore topic for everyone."

"It's okay, we know why at least," Roy said in a hard voice. "That bastard is following the orders of the one known as Hecate, she wants to build an army of homunculi to destroy Amestris." Roy clenched his fists and Riza rubbed his back. "She wants to use my daughter and intends to break her down by using Caldor to r-rape her."

"Little by little she is healing," Riza said in a calm voice. "Javad does not know the effect he's having on her, he thinks it's so little but every day she comes home and tells me how good he made her feel. She'll tell us that he did or said something that she never expected to happen, she was so hurt and devastated, she was angry at Javad and then Caldor came along and hurt her even more…" Riza clenched her fists and bared her teeth, she looked ready to shoot something and if she had her guns with her at the moment, she would have done that.

"The point being, Javad's good to her whether he knows it or not, and we're all trying our best to help her heal."

"If there's anything I can do at all, let me know," Winry stated in a quiet tone. She would do whatever she could do to help Calida, she knew how the girl had to be feeling, and that made her desire to help her out even more so. Winry looked down toward the soup bowl and then up at Ed, she smiled and let out a sigh. "Ed, are you ready for that new automail?"

"Yes actually, I think Javad was paying me back for our little duel," Ed said with a slight chuckle. Winry raised her eyebrow and Ed slowly stood up, he took the food tray and placed it on the dresser next to Winry's bed. "Well you see, I was fixing to leave like my father did, I was afraid of Javad and Megan's reactions. Roy, or Fuhrer Mustang over there fixed that really fast."

"That's a good thing, I'd hate to see what happens if you left forever."

"Yeah, well Javad was having a hard time and I told him that if he could beat me in a duel, I'd be out of his life forever." Winry smirked and everyone helped her out of the bed, she could walk on her own so they didn't need to worry about that.

"I'm going out on a limb here and taking a lucky guess, Javad didn't win against you?"

"Nope, he couldn't beat his old man and in the end I kind of shattered his automail, so we came back here and Megan put some new automail on him." Winry chuckled and slowly shook her head, it didn't even bother her at all about what happened.

"Well don't make it _constant_ or anything, but yeah, I'll always be here whenever you break your automail. You know how it goes, right Ed?"

"Yeah…"

"Just don't expect wrenches, I've grown quite a bit in the last sixteen years I believe." Ed smiled and looked over at a photo, it was a picture of Winry's old dog, Den.

"Ah, whatever happened to that dog?"

"He died shortly after Javad's birth, it was kind of lonely, but we managed. It's good to have you back with me, Ed. You _are_ going to stay, right? I mean, you're not going to leave me for another world again, are you?" Ed chuckled and crossed his arms, he smirked and looked into Winry's beautiful blue eyes.

"No, I wouldn't dream of it, only the biggest idiot would leave the one he loved _again_. I'm definitely not going to make that mistake again, and if I ever make that mistake, I'm going to let Roy over here burn me to a crisp." Winry chuckled and looked at the silver watch on Ed's hip, she tilted her head and looked up.

"So you're back in the military now?"

"Yes, oh and Javad's also in the military…actually that was sort of my fault." Ed narrowed his eyes and Roy smirked, in truth it didn't matter who's fault it was, Roy would have recruited both of them eventually.

"Well the military will make a man out of Javad," Roy said while shrugging and holding his hands in the air slightly. "Lord knows Calida needs a man by her side and not some scrawny little punk who doesn't know how to take care of a woman like my daughter."

"Yeah, what you said…"

"Actually if you're not careful, I may even end up recruiting your daughter into the military!" Ed coughed and rubbed the back of his head, Winry rolled her eyes and chuckled.

"We're wasting time here," Winry said while crossing her arms. "Grandma, where's the automail, I need to refit an arm for Ed!" Pinako nodded and everyone followed her out of the room.

"It's good that Winry is back," Riza said as Roy wrapped his arm around her waist. Calida glanced over at her parents and smiled as Riza rested her head on Roy's shoulder. "It really makes you happy to see someone's true love return, Winry's back and Ed came back for her."

"I came back for you," Roy said with a small smile. "I couldn't bear to be without you, Riza." Riza closed her eyes and smiled as she lifted her hand and rubbed Roy's back.

"You did, and I couldn't be happier." Roy turned his head and gave Riza a kiss on the forehead, Calida smiled at her parent's affection, she saw more and more of it each day and thought that there may be hope for some men out there.

"I'll always love you, Riza."

* * *

Hope you liked it, so give a review my friends! Thanks to Moonstardutchess and Roxas for reviewing, you keep me updating since you're the only ones I know are reading this! So check out When One's World is Shaken and all other stories by Moonstardutchess, they are awesome!


	33. Terror

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Thoughts in _italics_, Speech in regular. This chapter will start off with just a little prior to the fight.

* * *

Chapter 33 (Terror)

Calida and Megan were walking around outside, trying to calm down from all the excitement earlier. Ed was getting new automail from Winry and everyone seemed to think that Ed was about to ask Winry to marry him, they all truly hoped that was the case, it took him long enough to do it anyway. Calida knelt down beside a shrub that was filled with flowers of all sorts, she smiled and took a small rose from the bush as Megan rushed over. "I like roses, they're beautiful!" Megan exclaimed with a smile.

"Yeah, they really are," Calida stated. She smiled and brought the rose to her nose, she closed her eyes and sniffed the small and delicate artifact. Megan smiled and picked up a basket that she had, she started to pick a few flowers and put them in the object. "Hmm, good choices Megan, and when we're done here we can make a bouquet out of these." Megan nodded and Calida placed the rose in the basket, Megan took it out and handed it back to her.

"You should keep the rose, I think it goes well with you!" Calida raised her eyebrow and looked at the rose, she smiled and placed it in her hair. "See, it's beautiful and you're beautiful, so you match!" Calida chuckled and picked a small flower from the bush, she placed the object in the basket and slowly stood up.

"The more of these flowers we find, the better I think. Wasn't there a bush with some beautiful lilies to the left?" Megan nodded and walked with Calida to another shrub, it was adorned with several beautiful and different colors of flowers. "These flowers look great today." Megan nodded and lay on the grass, Calida raised her eyebrow and sat next to the little girl. "What's up, Megan?"

"It's a beautiful day and I want to watch the clouds." Calida sighed and leaned back, placing her palms on the ground behind her and looking up at the sky. She loved watching the clouds, she also loved to watch the stars and she always wondered what it would be like to dance beneath the stars with her one true love. She didn't really think about it much, she was a serious girl, but even still she always wanted to know how it would be like.

"What guy would dance with me when I've already whored out my body two times," Calida said under her breath. Over time, she knew Javad wasn't out to get her body, and if he was, he would have taken advantage of her long ago. Then she blamed herself for what happened with Caldor, she was starting to get better though, because she knew why Caldor was doing what he was doing and Javad seemed to genuinely care about her. Megan glanced over at Calida, she didn't know why she was always so sad.

"Big Brother loves you, why are you sad?" Calida blinked and looked over at Megan, the little girl seemed to be sad as well. "Please don't be sad, I know that Brother wants to make you happy, and he _promised_ me that he was going to make you happy. He said he loved you and he wants you to be happy, and _I_ want you to be happy. I want you and Brother to grow up and get married and have plenty of kids together!" Calida blushed lightly and then smiled at Megan's innocence, she couldn't deny the fact that Megan had her moments of being adorable.

"Don't worry Megan, I'm happy enough, and Javad is doing the best he can, I guess. I'm surprised he can still want anything to do with me, all things considered. I give him such a hard time and, to tell the truth…I was kind of hoping…" Calida shook her head and slowly stood up, she didn't want to have that conversation with a young child who didn't have any knowledge about these things.

"I still want you to tell me why you're always sad." Calida frowned and crossed her arms, she let a tear fall from her eye and swiftly wiped it away in the most secretive way possible. Megan narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, she stared at Calida who was smiling nervously at her. "I _saw_ that!"

"Megan…look, you're just a young girl and you shouldn't hear some things."

"I'm a big girl though!" Calida chuckled and nodded her head, she didn't have any arguments with that.

"Listen, Javad and I just had a bit of a falling out and he's trying to fix it…"

"He will! He can do anything, he loves you and would do anything for you." Calida blushed and closed her eyes, she loved Javad too, but she was still afraid and scared that her body had been used for another man. She was afraid that Javad didn't really want her, and why should he want her if he could have a million other girls who were perfect?

"Megan, you remember Caldor, right? Well…he did a very bad thing to me and because of it, I'm not perfect and I just don't know why Javad should want me when he could have a million others." Megan tilted her head to the side and blinked, she sighed and glanced to the side.

"Daddy still loves Mommy…" Calida raised her eyebrow and Megan glanced up and into Calida's eyes. "I know that Mommy was raped and I don't know what it is completely, but I heard them saying that you were too. I think it means something with another person and you don't go willingly or something, but Dad still loves Mommy, so why wouldn't Brother still love you?"

"As far as him loving me…"

"He's always loved you, I could see it!" Calida raised her eyebrows and Megan let out a sigh. "I could always see it in his eyes and his heart, he loved you always and he _still_ loves you, and so do you! So…why don't you open your heart to him and just let him care for you like he really could? I know if you did, he'd care for you just like he cares for me and he cares for Mommy!" Calida smiled softly and her eyelids closed slightly, she wanted to do that, but it was hard. "It can't be hard, right? I just want to see you and Brother happy…like you used to be."

_"Can things really go back now? No, but maybe the future…"_ Calida sighed and slowly hugged Megan, the girl did have a few good points, that was for sure. Megan and Calida glanced over to see Javad walking up to them, Megan raised her eyebrow and Calida stood up straight. "Hey Javad, how is your father doing?"

"Oh, Dad's doing just fine," Javad said while crossing his arms. "So how are you?"

"Calida, don't believe him," Megan said while tugging on Calida's shirt. Calida nodded in response, something didn't seem right about Javad anyway. Javad smirked and took down a transformation, Caldor appeared and was grinning evilly. "No!"

"Megan, go to the house," Calida said quietly. Megan looked up at Calida, the elder woman was starting to freeze up and the vomiting sensation that was always there was evident once more. "Go, now!" Megan nodded and quickly ran off, Calida clenched her fists and moved her hand towards her sword, Caldor swiftly grabbed her wrist and stopped the decent.

"Not so fast, Calida," Caldor said with narrow eyes. Calida gasped and shook, she snapped her fingers and Caldor leapt back in time to avoid a burst of flames. With that, Calida took off in a run, Caldor smirked and slowly shook his head. "And so the hunt is on." Caldor charged toward Calida, she had her fists clenched and her eyes clenched shut with terror.

_"Why can't I fight him! Why am I not fighting back?"_ Calida ran into the woods and hid behind a tree, her heart was beating at a rapid pace inside her chest while Caldor slowly made his way through the woods. He chuckled and called out her name, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. _"Oh God, help me…I'm too scared of him to fight, the fact that he used to be my friend doesn't help…"_

"Calida, come out come out wherever you are!" Calida's body shook with fear and tears started to escape her eyes, she turned around to run and saw Caldor staring at her. "Hello there, Calida."

"Leave me alone!" Calida turned around and ran away once more, she screamed and felt Caldor grab her wrist. "No!" He turned her around and pinned her to the ground, she shook and tried to snap her fingers but he had his thumbs pressed into the palms over her hand, so she couldn't move her fingers. "Stop it!" Calida squirmed and brought her leg up, kneeing Caldor in the shin, it was hard enough for him to get off of her.

"Damn it!" Calida quickly pulled herself up and took off in a run once more, Caldor growled and ran after her. "Get back here, Bitch!" Calida screamed for help once more and made her way to an open clearing, it wasn't a good place to be because there was nowhere for her to hide.

"Javad, Dad, Mr. Elric, anyone, help me!" Calida gasped as she felt Caldor grab her from behind, he had his arm around her arms and waist, holding her still. "Let me go, Caldor!"

"No, I don't think that's going to be happening anytime soon." Calida let out a sob as she saw Caldor's hand start to move toward her, his hand stopped and the clicking of a gun was heard. Calida and Caldor both looked in front of them and saw Javad pointing a gun toward Caldor, his face was tight with anger.

"Caldor," Javad said in a menacing voice. "Piss off." Caldor released Calida and smirked, she quickly ran over to Javad and wrapped her arms around his waist while hugging his chest. Caldor chuckled and started to take a step forward, but before he did, Javad fired a gunshot and a huge hole appeared in Caldor's shoulder. "The next will be your head, I suggest leaving now." Javad narrowed his eyes and Caldor let out a small growling sound, he was about to attack but something stopped him. Maybe it was seeing Calida in the state of terror that she was in and seeing Javad looking at him with such murderous intent, but such things didn't normally bother him.

"You lucked out this time," Caldor said while turning around and rushing off, Javad kept his gun on Caldor until he was sure the man was gone for good. The gun in his hand vanished and he fell to his knees with Calida, he wrapped his arms around her as she started to sob.

"He's gone, Cali, don't worry," Javad said in a soothing voice. Calida shook her head and Javad tried to soothe her by running his hand through her hair. "You're safe now, I'm with you, nobody can get you."

"I'm weak, Javad, I'm weak and I can't do anything!" Javad raised his eyebrow and looked at Calida as she buried her face in her hands. "I wasn't able to do anything, I couldn't fight him, I couldn't save myself…"

"You're not weak, you're the strongest girl I know. Look, no other girl can possibly take me down in a fight and you already killed a homunculus. I didn't kill any on my own, you're strong, you always have been and you always will be."

"No I'm not! I'm a weak little slut who can't do anything with her own life, I'm dirty and no one would ever want to be seen with me. Why do you even care, you have a million women that you _could_ care about and that are most likely virgins, why do you hang around someone as imperfect and unsanitary as me?" Calida sobbed once more and Javad rocked her back and forth, rubbing her back with his hand.

"You're not a slut or anything of that matter, you're clean and you are the most beautiful girl I know. I don't want all those other women that are out there, I care for you _because_ you are not perfect. Hell, I'm not perfect, nobody is perfect, and if we were, then there wouldn't be half of the problems that there are in this world. Who said you weren't a virgin?"

"Javad, don't give me that, you know I'm not…" Javad smiled and slowly stood up, pulling Calida to her feet. Calida raised her eyebrow and Javad wiped her tears from her eyes, he gazed into her beautiful eyes and smiled softly at her.

"Well whether you are or not shouldn't matter, and it would never matter to me. I am a firm believer in this, though, you are still a virgin unless you willingly gave away your virginity. You are still a virgin in my eyes, and no matter what happens or who comes near you, you are still the same beautiful girl that has always been my best friend. Let me ask you, has anyone ever said otherwise? When have you ever been weak, or not beautiful? I know for a fact that I'm not the only guy that's ever said you were beautiful, and don't say your father, he has but he doesn't count at the moment." Calida raised her eyebrow and made a sniffing sound, she could remember several instances when in the past, Javad might get jealous because a guy said she looked pretty and they sounded sincere about it too.

"Before he was a homunculus, Caldor said I was pretty, he almost always did…I guess I had some other friends who would say it too." Javad smiled and brushed a strand of hair behind Calida's ear, he hugged her close and ran his hand through her hair once more.

"See, you're very beautiful, your hair even smells wonderful. I can even vouch for the fact that you are a very strong girl, there are too many instances to use that prove that you are in fact strong. It's only natural to be afraid of Caldor, so don't think that because you're afraid of him, that you're not strong." Calida let a small smile form on her lips, she wasn't sure how or why, but Javad was always good at making her feel better. To tell the truth, she felt extremely safe when he held her in his arms, it felt like there was nothing around but themselves and nothing could possibly come near her.

"Thank you, Javad…" Calida rested her head on Javad's chest and closed her eyes, Javad merely held her close as they stood in the silence, letting the wind run through their hair. Megan ran up to them, following her were Roy, Riza, Ed, Winry and Pinako, all of them were worried and fearful for Calida.

"Is she okay?" Ed asked while surveying the area with Roy. Javad looked up at everyone and placed a finger to his lips, the others just smiled and decided to give them some space yet not stray too far away from the area.

"Damn it, how can he know this place?" Roy asked in a quiet voice as he tightened his fists. He was angry that Caldor came back, he was angry that he ever trusted Caldor at all when the guy was human, and now he was ticked off that Caldor was hurting his daughter. "Damn him, damn that son of a bitch…" Riza wrapped her arm around Roy's arm and buried her face into his arm.

"Roy, calm down," Riza said while kissing his arm. She knew they couldn't really calm down, not after what had just happened. "Be lucky that Caldor didn't hurt her this time and Megan came and got Javad and all of us. You have to remember, Caldor's a homunculus, he isn't his human self anymore."

"I know, but…I can't understand why that bitch Hecate would make him do something like this." Roy looked over and watched as Javad continued to hold Calida in his arms, keeping her safe from danger.

"He's good to her, Roy. Just like you're good to me, and as good as you are to me, I want to return that favor." Roy raised his eyebrow and Riza wrapped her arms around him, she knew that Roy was furious over Caldor, and perhaps her touch could make him relax some. Just as Javad was helping Calida to relax by holding her in his arms and protecting her, Riza would hold Roy in her arms and together they would cry for their daughter and relieve themselves of any insecurities.

"Maybe we should get Ed to move Javad and Pinako elsewhere, where Caldor can't find us."

"We'll talk about that later, Roy." Riza smiled and gave him a soft peck on the cheek. "Right now, let's just relax."

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There's the end of the chapter, leave your thoughts and stick around for the next.


	34. A New Lesson

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Thoughts in _italics_, Speech in regular. This chapter will start off with just a little prior to the fight.

A/N: "I decided to give this chapter out early. I seem to be in a writing frenzy, I have several chapters of this written.

* * *

Chapter 34 (Another Lesson)

Ed sat down in a chair and reclined, he stared out the window at Winry and Calida, the girls were talking about something, probably about the events that transpired just a little while ago. Javad sat in a chair next to Ed and leaned back, he could tell Ed had a hard look on his face and wasn't sure what was going on with his father. "Hey, what's up?" Javad asked in a quiet tone of voice.

"I'm just sitting here, thinking about everything that has changed and all of the things I have missed," Ed responded while furrowing his brow. He had missed quite a bit and he wanted to make up for everything, but some things that he missed probably would be things that he could never truly get back. He missed watching his son grow up, he missed watching Megan run around and play all the time, hell, he even missed giving his son the talk on puberty and girls. Ed chuckled and closed his eyes, he shook his head and Javad raised his eyebrow. "Living with two girls, you probably know a lot about women."

"Hah, spending time with Calida, I realize that I truly no nothing about women at all." Ed raised his eyebrow and Javad smiled and shook his head. How much could he know, women were truly rough and hard to know much about. "Mom did help me out a bit with girls, I suppose. Man, a few years ago, you had to be there to see her face when I started hitting puberty. She looked like she was about to have a heart attack and wanted to keep me away from Calida for at least a week!" Javad laughed and Ed slowly shook his head.

"What did she think you were going to do, go and have sex with her or something?" Javad frowned and looked toward his feet, that had been exactly what he did, even if it was years later. He still held guilt over that as well. "I'm sorry, Javad, I didn't mean to bring up such a rough topic." Javad merely shrugged and placed his hands behind his head, he wasn't going to let it bother him, but he did have to think of a way to get Calida trusting him more, but it seemed like she already was starting to trust him.

"You know what? I think Mom is really happy now, and Megan is too." Ed raised his eyebrow and smiled, he wanted both Winry and Megan to be happy with him, but he also wanted Javad to be as well. "You know, I am too actually…I mean, you came back for mom, you genuinely wanted to come to us and make up for leaving us behind. I can actually respect you for that."

"Thanks…I still wish there were more I can do, but there's really nothing more I can do. Winry told me also that the illness she had doesn't affect men as much as it does women, so the man that infected her is still probably alive." Ed rubbed his forehead and sighed, she also told him something even more than that. "I'm surprised Megan didn't come out like an Ishbalian…" Javad raised his eyebrow and Ed slowly clenched his fists. "You wouldn't know them, but years ago when Al and I were on our journey, we met two brothers from Ishbal named Leo and Rick…Leo was the older one."

"Yeah, what about those two, what significance do they have?" Javad felt bile rising up his throat; he closed his eyes and glanced out the window at his mom and Calida. Ed was looking out as well; he then crossed his arms and growled slightly.

"They won our trust, or actually we won theirs…they were with some camp of survivors and had lost their mother in that war. Winry tells me that the younger brother has died but the elder of the two brothers is probably still around somewhere." Javad nodded and his face tightened slightly.

"Leo is the man that raped my mother…I could never forget his name, and I would never forget his face." Javad clenched his eyes shut and growled, at six years old, he could still remember every detail of the man's face. "He said he still hated you, he said he blamed you for Scar's death and the death of his brother, yet you had nothing to do with either."

"I did do the alchemy that stopped Scar from destroying several humans for the sake of the philosopher's stone, yet it did still destroy half of Archer's body. Then I think it did something to his brain which caused him to go insane, he got killed by Riza yet I think he came back as a homunculus, as Riza told us. Winry said that Archer is the one that killed Rick, and Archer must have said something about me…"

"So he wanted revenge against you, and that's why he went after Mom? He went after mom and gave her that disease, only because he wanted revenge against you…what are you going to do? Will you go after him, will you kill him?" Ed leaned forward and placed his elbows on his legs while clasping his hands together and resting them on his chin. He closed his eyes and thought for a moment, when he opened his eyes, he merely shook his head. "What? This guy raped mom, how could you _not_ go after him!"

"Javad, he hurt Winry out of revenge, because it was _my_ fault. He did it because he hated _me_ and because _Archer_ told him that I was the one who called for Rick's death. I can hate him, but to go and kill him out of revenge would be putting me at the same level of hate and revenge as he is. Right now, who knows what's going on with him? Leo is probably on his deathbed because of that illness, and it would be wrong for me to kill a dying man because out of hate. He will be judged in the end, that much is true."

"But dad…"

"Javad, listen to me well here. Sometimes when it comes to women who have experienced something traumatic, they don't care what happens to the person who did something to them. When it comes to the person that they love, or anyone at all, they care more for that person to just stay by their side and not go on a murderous rampage and hunt for the person that hurt them." Ed slowly stood up and pulled a small sheet of paper from his pocket, it was crumpled and slightly torn, but it was fairly new looking.

"What is that?"

"It is an address given to me by Roy, I had him run a few searches for me. I want you to come with me, this will be important." Javad nodded and slowly stood up, he followed Ed out the door and both the girls looked up at them with concern. "Winry, Javad and I will be back shortly." Winry nodded and Calida shrugged while watching the men leave.

-NEW SCENE-

Javad blinked as Ed stood in front of a door, he didn't recognize this house, but it was on the other side of Risembool and he had been here on several occasions. Ed clenched his fists slowly and his jaw tightened, he lifted his hand up and knocked on the door. "Dad, what business do we have here?" Ed remained silent and waited for the door to open, a woman eventually came to the door and tilted her head slightly.

"Who are you?" The woman asked with great concern. A coughing noise was heard from inside the house, the coughing was harsh and similar to that of how Winry used to cough.

"Edward Elric, it's that bastard!" A voice exclaimed from inside. Ed refrained from pushing the woman aside to get in, instead he waited patiently as the woman and the man discussed something, it was apparent that the woman was the man's Friend. "Fine, let him in, see what I care!" The woman stepped aside and Javad followed Ed into the house, the saw a man lying on a bed and Javad's eyes grew large.

"Long time no see," Ed said while staring down at the man. "Leo…" The man snarled and yelled out a string of curses, Ed's fist tightened with each curse and Javad was getting ready to attack Leo. When Javad moved, Ed lifted his hand up to stop him. "There will be no fighting today, Javad. Don't you think we've dealt enough with these types of men by now, or at least you have?" Javad crossed his arms and shrugged as Ed lowered his arm and stared at Leo. "I've been gone for sixteen years, Leo, I've been separated from this world for that long and only have fathered one child, yet I am a dad to two."

"Yeah, tell me if I should give a damn about any of that?"

"I don't think it's necessary, I have a beautiful daughter that I love and cherish, Winry couldn't love that child any more than she does now and that's the truth. However, I want to know exactly _why_ it was that you decided to rape her."

"I didn't have to, it wasn't like I was ordered to do it or anything, but you're the bastard that ordered that one freak to kill my little brother!" Ed frowned and crossed his arms, he could see the hate and anger in Leo's eyes.

"I am truly sorry for Rick's death, but I am not at fault for what a homunculus did to him. I was not a part of this world when Frank Archer was killed, nor was I a part of this world when he was turned into a homunculus."

"Oh really, is that so?" Leo's voice had a bit of a snarl to it, there was nothing but malice and anger in his voice. "Tell that to Rick why don't you!" Ed closed his eyes and let out a small sigh, he knew he wouldn't be getting through to Leo, but it wasn't really the reason he was here. "Speaking of little siblings, where is yours? Is he dead? I hope so!"

"No, he is in the other world with his son, his wife passed on and they were at the funeral while the gate opened for the final time, letting me come back." Leo growled and then started to cough violently, he placed his hand over his mouth and blood shot out onto his hand. "If I could do something for that cough, I would, but I can't do a single thing." Leo lay back in the bed and placed his hands on the blanket, it was obvious just how weak he was.

"If I wasn't so sick, I would get out of bed and cut your throat open with a knife, I hope you know that."

"Don't talk to my father like that, you bastard!" Javad shouted. "You have no right to-" Ed put up his hand and Javad grew silent, he closed his eyes and lowered his arm.

"Yelling, hatred, anger, it gets us nowhere at all. Instead, with a sick man in bed, it's best to talk calmly." Ed opened his eyes and stared into Leo's, it was apparent that he was still very angry but he wasn't going to do anything harmful. "You know, every time I looked into those eyes before, I was afraid. I saw something different, and when I did, it sent fear into me. Now all I see is a man who is still different from me, but also one who is trapped inside his own bitter hate and one who has lost his soul several years ago. There is no sense in hating that which is just a hollow shell, all I can really do is feel pity for it. You lost your soul when you believed a homunculus and decided to rape a completely innocent woman who had nothing to do with the situation at all. What would Rick think of you right now, Leo? He looked up to you his entire life, a younger brother generally does, but what would he think of you after what you did to Winry?"

"I suppose it matters?" Leo asked while coughing once more. "I only did it because you were the one-"

"I had nothing to do with that homunculus, most likely it was the one known as Hecate who did. I will be sure though, somehow, that homunculus will die."

"Whatever…why aren't you trying to kill me anyway? You're a bastard, you could do it."

"As much as I want to, it would not be right for me to do such a thing to you. The fact that you are currently in a bad position does not have any effect on it, it is that you already bear a grudge against me and it is one that needs not exist. I have merely come to clear that air, there is no reason that you should die with so much hate in you. Why have you decided to move to Risembool though?"

"Why the hell do you care? Why the hell are you being so damn nice right now! I raped your woman, you should want to beat the crap out of me!"

"…I never said that I did not wish to do that, I merely said that I refuse to do that because at this moment, it would be wrong for me to do so." Leo coughed once more and an angry tear left his eye, his body began to shake and anger grew on his face.

"Bastard, why can't you just kill me, why do you let me live through this hell! My brother's dead, I've raped someone that I shouldn't have, and not only do I have to feel guilt over such a damn thing, I have to have this terminal illness!" Javad blinked and thought back to Caldor, when they kill his homunculus form, would he remember his homunculus memories, would he be tormented by years of guilt? What would really happen in that sense, what could Caldor really do.

"Perhaps it is a hell you've thrust yourself in, it seems like it will be over pretty soon though…Rick would be waiting for you."

"No he won't, bastard! He probably would hate me right now for what I've done…" Leo lifted his hands up and looked at them, his body shook once more. "Ten years ago, I believed the words of a criminal, I knew he had to be lying but it was the only explanation that I had. Therefore I had no reason for what I did, I broke into the home of an innocent woman and I violated her." Leo clenched his hands and lowered them, he shut his eyes and tears fell from them. "I betrayed so many trusts, even my own…the people of Ishbal would never have me back if they knew what I did, and only my Friend would really accept me. I don't know why she did, but she let me live with her. I told her that we needed to move to Risembool, I wanted to be here near Winry to apologize, but I could never do it. I was too overwhelmed with guilt and I waited for you to return."

"Why? Why did you wait for that?"

"She told me that very night that you weren't here, that you couldn't have done anything, she said that you were in some other world and you would probably return one day. Even still, I didn't stop, and that's why I waited. I waited for you to come back, I waited for you to kill me over what I had done!"

"You want me to kill you?"

"Why won't you do it, you keep saying you don't want to do it, but I know you want to, so why don't you?" Tears continued to flow from Leo's eyes as he sat up and began to cough violently. "Why!" Ed closed his eyes and stood calmly, holding to his stoic expression, Javad slowly glanced over at Ed and then back to Leo. "Kill me! Why won't you! Do it, you want to, why don't you do it damn it!" Leo coughed more and then finally stopped after blood spilt out onto his hand, his eyes went skyward and he fell back on the pillow. Ed sighed and a single tear fell from his eyes.

"…Because I am not a murderer. To kill you out of rage and hatred would be to put myself in the same shoes as you." Javad blinked and Ed slowly turned around, he walked toward Leo's friend and looked at her. "I will be at the funeral."

"You don't have to," The woman said in a quiet voice. "You really don't have to go."

"No one is forcing me, but I knew this man and I knew his brother, they were old friends and I would feel wrong if I don't go to his funeral, seeing as how I missed his brother's." With that, Ed left the area, Javad followed in silence, contemplating everything that just happened.

* * *

So, Ed didn't kill Leo, he chose not to be a murderer. What does this have to do with Javad? Maybe it's a sign of things to come, who knows.


	35. A Wedding

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Thoughts in _italics_, Speech in regular. This chapter will start off with just a little prior to the fight.

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Chapter 35 (A wedding)

Several months had passed by; Ed had been away on research while the others did their own thing. Winry was getting ready for a wedding, her wedding, one that she had wanted for over sixteen years. Nobody could be any happier than she and her family. Calida was going to be her matron of honor, while Megan was the flower girl and Riza was the bridesmaid. Ed's best man was Javad and his groomsman was going to be Roy and the wedding was going to be set in a small scene.

Of course, it was now the wedding day and everyone was hyped up like crazy, nobody seemed to be calm at all. Then, why would they be? On such an important and beautiful day, a wedding that took sixteen years is a very important thing to most people. Winry was letting Riza and Calida work on pinning up her dress, Winry was very nervous and excited, a mixing pot could describe her emotions all in one.

Her dress was elegant, yet not overly done; it was a simple cream colored dress without the shoulders. On her head was a white veil that draped over her face, her hair was as it had been, straight down. Of course, she had grown out of the three ponytails that she once wore, and she only had one earring for each ear, it was just something that changed over time. Yet Ed had told her on several occasions, it didn't matter how much she changed, he would always love her. While having her dress pinned up, Winry and Riza noticed Calida was distracted by something outside, they didn't see anything of interest though, just an empty field.

"Calida, what are you thinking about?" Winry asked with a soft smile. Calida smiled and looked over at Winry, she saw just how beautiful the woman looked, and she had always hoped that she would be beautiful like that one day. "Are you nervous about this day as well?" Calida merely shrugged her shoulders and smiled, sure she was nervous, as everyone else was. "One day Calida, this is going to be you. One day, some man is going to be lucky enough to sweep you off your feet and take you as his bride."

"You really think a man will marry me?" Calida asked with a smile. "I would hope one day I could get married, I always wanted to get married, but now I still don't know exactly what man would want me." Calida thought for a minute and closed her eyes, she tilted her head back as she leaned in her chair. Of course, she knew Javad had loved her, and he still did, and maybe it would be him to take her as his wife. That was something she wanted.

"Do you think that no man really wants you?" Riza asked with a small frown. Calida chuckled and shook her head, she didn't really want to talk about it on such an important day.

"I know Javad cares for me, I mean…he seems like he really does." Riza and Winry smiled at Calida, they nodded and gave her a hug. "Whoa, whoa, you're going to get your dress ruined!"

"No, it's fine," Winry said in a soft voice. "You're right when you say Javad cares for you, he loves you, and everyone can see that."

"Yeah, but let's talk about you and this beautiful day!" Winry chuckled and Riza continued to pin up her dress, Calida started to pin up part of the dress as well. All three women had tears in their eyes, even when they said they would not cry on the wedding day, they did.

-NEW SCENE-

Javad was leaning against the wall of the room that he was in, Roy was busy picking lint off of Ed's tuxedo while Javad merely stared at something that was outside the window, however unseen it was. "Well Fullmetal, you're finally getting married, and I thought you were too short for any wives," Roy said with a smirk. Ed narrowed his eyes and stared at Roy, if it wasn't for the tuxedo he was wearing, he probably would have hit the guy. Then again, he probably wouldn't have anyway; Roy would have gotten away pretty quickly. "What is it, no comebacks at all?" Ed fumed and shook his fist slightly as Roy brushed off the sleeve of Ed's tux. He tapped his chin and walked around Roy to get a good look at the suit and make sure it was well cleaned and ready. Ed tapped Roy's shoulder and pointed over at Javad, they saw him still staring out the window as if he were in deep thought. "Hey, what's going on over there, Javad?"

"Yeah, you haven't said much of anything yet," Ed said while glancing over. True enough, Javad had been silent for most of the day and his thoughts had seemed to be out a bit. "What's on your mind, or will you wish your father the best of luck?" Javad closed his eyes and chuckled; he turned his head and smirked, possibly thinking of something witty to say in the light of all the tension. In truth, he was really thinking of Calida, he knew she was starting to trust him more, and each day was a little better than the last, and he hoped that one day they could have something like this. Not only that, he was nervous about the wedding day as well, his mother was finally getting married to the man she waited on for so long. Everyone was pretty much thrilled at the union that was taking place; it was too joyful to be upset about anything at all. "So really, Javad, tell me what is on your mind. Is there anything that I can help you out with?"

"It's nothing really," Javad said with a quiet voice. "Just enjoy the day, it's a big day and we probably shouldn't be worrying about anything other than the ones getting married."

"I don't know about that, I mean sure, but if there's anything on your mind at all…" Javad shrugged and walked over to Ed, he chuckled and picked off a piece of lint that Roy had missed.

"Hey Dad, did you find out what you were looking for, you realize I have no clue what it was you were researching, right?" Ed nodded and smirked at Javad, he then pulled a sheet of paper out and handed it to his son. Javad raised his eyebrow and read the note, his jaw fell and his eyes widened when he read the words. Ed had discovered the hideout of Hecate and the homunculi, it was in some old abandoned ruins, the same basic place that Dante had been in years before. "Y-You went there alone, all by yourself?"

"I was merely spying, I did not come into contact with them, nor did I actually go there alone. I went with a few old friends of mine; Mustang's subordinates came back together one last time so we could go searching for Hecate's location." Javad closed his eyes and folded the paper up, he slipped it into his pocket and glanced at Ed, shocked that he would even consider searching for Hecate's location on his own.

"Well it's good that you found it then, at least that way, we can attack the homunculi and destroy them before they can do anything to us."

"Not so fast, we would have to plan something out," Roy stated while walking over to the door. "We can't just go rushing in there without a plan."

"True," Ed responded. The last time Ed went rushing into the place, there wasn't much planning. He pretty much just went in there and began throwing punches around like crazy. "Believe me when I say this Javad-"

"Fullmetal, it's time to get moving!" Ed glanced over and sighed, he'd have to tell Javad about it all later on. Ed smiled and walked to the altar, after a while, the maid of honor would walk out with the best man and the bridesmaid with the groomsman. Then the flower girl came out with the bride behind her, it was a beautiful sight to behold and not a single eye in the entire chapel was dry.

After the wedding, at the reception, Calida leaned against the wall and watched as the bride and groom did their dance. She smiled at the sight and looked over at her parents, they were dancing as well. They were close together; Riza's chin was on Roy's shoulder while he held her close and danced slowly with her. Calida tilted her head and watched as her parents swayed with the music, Roy kissed Riza's forehead and Riza closed her eyes as Roy rubbed her back. Calida closed her eyes and imagined Javad dancing with her; she shook her head and opened her eyes.

Calida made note that Javad was nowhere to be found. She raised her eyebrow and looked around, trying to see if she could find him anywhere. Of course, it was a small wedding, there were not very many people and Javad had been there for most of the reception. He either went to the restroom or he left, but she didn't think he would leave with other wedding guests. She looked back at her parents and saw them kissing each other; it was a soft and gentle kiss on the lips, and probably a feeling of pure bliss. Calida smiled as she watched her parent's tender action, she loved how her father always made her mom feel, and at least to her it looked like her mom loved being in Roy's arms.

_"Where is Javad, anyway?"_ Calida left the building and looked over, hoping to see if Javad was possibly watching the sky, he wasn't. Calida rubbed the back of her head and walked forward a bit, she glanced down and spotted a crumpled up paper, when she picked it up and opened it, her eyes widened considerably. Her hands shook slightly and she glanced up from the sheet, it slowly began to be engulfed in flames as it fell from Calida's hands. _"Damn it, Javad."_

**-NEW SCENE-**

Javad had left the wedding reception when other guests started to leave, he had said that it was a bad idea to go alone, but he had to kill the homunculi. If not all of them, at least Caldor, he needed to wipe out the one that wanted to do harm to Calida. Javad walked through the ruined city and looked around, finding it hard to believe that such a large city could be thrust underground with so many people, all for one stone. Not only that, but it had been his own grandfather that did it. He opened the door of the chapel and could have sworn he heard music playing in the background somewhere, he shrugged it off and the door closed behind him.

"What are you doing here, pipsqueak?" A voice asked from behind. Javad nearly jumped in surprise, but he remained calm and turned around, he saw Caldor leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "Why the hell have you come here alone? Did you learn nothing from your father's experience? Coming here alone will get you killed, Javad…"

"I have come to kill you, bastard," Javad said with narrow eyes. Caldor rolled his eyes and sighed, he had figured that much out, but it didn't concern him a bit. Caldor shrugged and Javad glanced around as other homunculi surrounded him. Blaze, Bullet, and Pride all stepped up to Javad, each of them with different looks on their face.

"You shouldn't have come here; you're only going to die." Javad raised his eyebrow and heard footsteps behind him, obviously belonging to Hecate. All in one motion, he saw Caldor raise his eyebrows as the sound of hands clasping together rang through the place. He felt a burning sensation and his eyes widened as a shadow spike ran through him.

_"Damn it…"_ The wound wasn't in anything vital, fortunately. He held his waist and felt blood dripping over his hand; he turned around to see Hecate with an evil grin on her face. Three shadow snakelike spikes shot up from behind her, Javad's eyes widened as the spikes bended and shot toward him.

* * *

Yeah, it's not the best cliffhanger you can get, but at least the wedding was nice. I hope you enjoyed that chapter, the next will be up soon.


	36. Fighting the Homunculi

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Thoughts in _italics_, Speech in regular. This chapter will start off with just a little prior to the fight.

* * *

Chapter 36 (Fighting the Homunculi)

_Run_, that was all that was going through Calida's head as she raced toward Hecate's hideout. She had left immediately after finding the note on where Hecate's hideout was, she knew Javad would have gone after all of the homunculi and once she found him, she was going to have to let him know not to do that again. She didn't know why, but she didn't tell her family or even Ed where she was going, she supposed she didn't want to ruin whatever happiness they had.

Calida entered the secret passageway and crawled through a tunnel, she made it to an elevator like area and gasped as she saw the large city that was hidden under the ground. _"So this was for one mere stone?"_ Calida thought as she moved down toward the ground, she stepped out of the elevator and saw the chapel straight ahead. She knew that she couldn't have been too far behind Javad and she was not letting him fight alone. Calida clenched her fists tightly, she was sure that Caldor would be there, but the problem was fighting him. _"Its okay, Javad is going to be there, I'm sure. If anything goes wrong, he'll be there to help me out."_

Calida walked toward the chapel and ignored the voices that urged her to turn around, that urged her to get help before entering the chapel. She slowly reached for the door; her fears of finding Caldor behind that door and a gruesome scene were ringing loudly inside her head. Her face tightened and her brow furrowed, she didn't care, she had to help Javad out and keep him from fighting alone.

Calida swiftly opened the door, her eyes widened when she saw three black spikes hitting Javad. Caldor glanced over at her and grit his teeth, he hadn't expected her to show up. "…Javad!" Calida watched as Javad turned his face toward the sky and fell to the floor, she then fell to her knees and stared at Javad as he lay on the ground. "Javad…" She didn't see that the spikes had not gone all the way through him, they barely cut into him because they had already gone into someone else, Pride had jumped in the way of Javad at the last second and let the spikes shoot through his body and lesson the impact on Javad.

"Pride, why did you jump in the way?" Hecate asked while tilting her head. Pride clenched his teeth and tightened his fist, he would have to think of a good excuse.

"Lady Hecate, I offer my apologies, I tripped and jumped in the path of the spikes," Pride said in a quiet voice. His wounds started to heal and Hecate tapped the side of her face, she smirked and shrugged her shoulders.

"That's fine by me; don't let it happen again, Pride." Pride nodded and everyone turned their gaze to Calida, she was still staring at Javad, she was shocked and slowly rising to anger. "You there, girl, you are Calida Mustang and that there is Javad Elric, am I wrong?" Calida was gripping the ground with anger, her teeth were clenched tightly together and tears were running down her face, her hands tightened in the dirt on the ground and tear drops fell to the floor. She slowly lifted her gaze to meet Hecate's, it was Hecate that wanted her as a slave, it was Hecate that killed Caldor and turned him into a homunculus, it was Hecate that wanted to destroy Amestris and get revenge on Ed, and it was Hecate that just ripped out Calida's heart. The rage flowed deep through Calida's veins and the bitter hate was burning in her eyes.

_"She's a fool if she thinks she's going to attack Hecate,"_ Caldor thought while rubbing his chin. He drew his sword and the other homunculi prepared themselves, they could all see the murderous intent inside Calida, they all knew what explosion was about to happen. They figured they had just killed the one person that Calida trusted, they killed the one person that she truly loved, and she was probably going to strike relatively soon.

"Caldor, Blaze, Bullet, Pride, take care of our guest for now, and when you're done with her, bring her to me." Hecate turned around and walked away; the homunculi all turned to Calida and smirked. Calida growled and slowly stood up, she lifted one hand and placed the other on her sword, there was nothing standing in her way of killing all the homunculi now, and that was exactly what she was going to do.

"Damn you, die you bastards!" Calida shouted as she snapped her fingers and swiftly drew her sword. A burst of flames hit Bullet; Calida charged toward Bullet and slashed him across the chest with her sword. She snapped her fingers once more and flames engulfed Bullet, she then turned around and sliced Pride as he neared her. "You're not going to win that easily, bastards." Calida grit her teeth and tears fell from her eyes as she slashed her sword through the air and cut Blaze, Pride grabbed her arm and tossed her into a wall.

"You have some guts, coming in here and attacking us like this," Blaze said with a smirk. Pride laughed and crossed his arms as Calida placed her hand on her head and moaned, she lifted her eyes up to Pride and growled. He was standing right above her, his fists clenched tightly and lifted in the air, he thrust his fist forward and Calida swiftly rolled out of the way. She snapped her fingers and hit Pride with a burst of flames. She then snapped her fingers and sent a blast of fire into Bullet.

"I'll take you all on and I'll kill each of you…" Calida charged toward Blaze and slashed him across the chest with her sword. "I was in love with him, he was the only man I could trust other than our fathers, and you killed him!" Calida thrust her sword through Blaze's abdomen and blue fire shot from the sword and engulfed him. Caldor glanced over at Javad, he was now starting to move.

_"Of course, his wounds weren't that bad, my father saved his life,"_ Caldor thought as he narrowed his eyes. Caldor glanced over at Pride, the strong homunculi now had Calida by the throat and was starting to ram her into the wall. _"Sure, fight for Hecate, you don't even want to kill these people, you are so weak."_ Caldor swiftly charged toward Pride and quickly placed his blade at Pride's throat, Pride gulped and Caldor narrowed his eyes. "Bastard, look over at Elric!" Pride glanced at Javad and saw him slowly moving his arm; Caldor growled and pressed the sword against Pride's neck. "You saved his life, for that, I think I'll punish you. Drop Calida, let Blaze and Bullet deal with her; they're more than enough for her. You need to be taught a very important lesson about going against the desires and wishes of Hecate!"

Pride's eyes widened and he dropped Calida, she gasped and placed a hand to her throat while coughing. She saw Caldor and Pride rush off to some other area; she closed her eyes and coughed once more. "Calida?" A voice said from nearby. Calida coughed again and glanced over at Javad's body, her eyes widened and she saw him looking at her. He was slowly starting to get up, much to the chagrin of the remaining homunculi. "What are you doing here, Calida?"

"I should ask you the same thing, idiot," Calida said while slowly standing up. "How could you come here by yourself, and don't even think about using the fact that I'm here on my own against me." Javad raised his eyebrow and glanced around, he was shocked that she actually did come on her own.

"I can't believe you came here on your own!" Calida rolled her eyes and stared at Javad, she wasn't in the mood to be scolded by him. "Do you realize you could have gotten yourself killed? What would happen then!"

"You did the same damn thing!"

"Yeah, but that's different!"

"How different?" Javad stuttered and the homunculi crossed their arms, they were obviously growing bored by both Calida and Javad.

"Hey, we're still here," Blaze said as he lifted his arms up and shot two blasts of flames toward Calida. Javad quickly grabbed Calida and pulled her out of the way, she shouted and glared at Blaze.

"Don't _ever_ do that again," Calida said. Though, with her tone of voice, she was probably saying that to both Javad and Blaze. Calida charged toward Blaze and slashed the homunculus in the side with her sword, Javad transmuted two guns and started to shoot giant holes into Blaze. Both Calida and Javad seemed to target Bullet now, Blaze was behind them and getting ready to attack. Caldor glanced over and smirked, Blaze was about to use one of his strongest attacks, where anyone and everyone in the vicinity would be burned and killed almost instantaneously.

_"Poor souls…heh, serves them right,"_ Caldor thought while twirling his sword in his hand. Pride panted and looked over at Caldor, Caldor glanced over and met his eyes, he narrowed his eyes and grit his teeth. _"Damn it…"_ Caldor swiftly turned around and charged toward Caldor and Javad, he lifted his sword and made motions to kill them, they glanced over and saw that they had no choice but to run. Calida had hesitated of course, she still feared Caldor the most, Javad quickly took her hand and she broke from her fearful trance. Caldor neared them and the two swiftly turned and ran out of the chapel. Caldor stopped in front of Blaze, as the attack was going to hit him. Fortunately for him, as a homunculus, Blaze's attack wouldn't kill him.

Javad and Calida ran out of the chapel and stopped when they heard a loud explosion, their eyes widened and they saw flames shoot out the door of the large building, Javad gave a light squeeze on Calida's hand and she looked up at him with concern. "Are you okay, Calida?" Javad asked.

"What about you?" Calida responded while turning toward Javad and looking at his wounds. "You're the one that had spikes shoot through you…" Calida frowned and ran her hand over one of Javad's wounds, she knew it would leave a scar. That wound was the one where the single spike shot through Javad's waist, it needed attention. "If only I made it faster, then this wouldn't have happened…" Javad smiled softly and hugged Calida, a light blush appeared over her face when he hugged her, he pulled back and gazed into her eyes.

"Don't worry about me, Calida," Javad said in a quiet voice. "I'll be just fine." The wound wasn't bleeding as bad as it had been earlier, though it was still bleeding. Javad placed his hand on his abdomen and frowned, it was worse than he thought, he was starting to grow faint and pale. _"Okay, I'm probably going to pass out the second we make it out of here, but I don't really want to worry her…"_

"Idiot, it really is bad, isn't it?" Javad chuckled lightly and shook his head, he didn't think it was really bad. At least he knew he wouldn't die from it, but he wasn't going to let it bother him, he had to stay standing for Calida. He glanced over and blinked, three people were running toward them. As the people neared, they saw that it was only Roy, Ed, and Riza. "Oh crap, it's our parents."

"Heh, I'm guessing they figured out where we were. Javad, can I ask you something?"

"Yes, anything…"

"Please don't ever run off and fight alone again, can you do that? I am going to admit this one thing, Javad…I don't want to lose you, I don't know what I would do if I lost you." Javad blinked and stared at Calida, she was looking ahead at their parents as they closed in, he thought he saw a tear on her face and it was then that he realized that he meant more to Calida than he thought.

"I promise, I won't fight alone again. I'll talk to you first, then we can talk to our dads and see if there's anything they could do…but you will never have to worry about losing me again." Calida smiled softly and their parents finally reached them.

"Why didn't you tell us you were coming here?" Roy asked in an almost stern voice. He and Riza were looking at Calida with question and worry in their eyes, Javad sighed and lifted his hand up.

"She only came here because I came here on my own, it won't happen again." Ed looked over at Javad with guilt written all over his face, it looked like he was about to lose his son, he didn't want to risk that.

"Maybe I shouldn't have told you about this place so soon," Ed said quietly. "Damn it Javad, talk to me the next time you plan on coming down here, do you know how worried your mother and everyone else has been!"

"I didn't want to cause her worry, I only came here so I didn't have to mess with such a pleasant time."

"Yeah, yeah, we'll talk later, first we have to get you two out of here and get you some medical assistance." Roy and Ed draped Javad's arms around their shoulders and Riza walked with Calida, talking with her about the fight that the parents had just missed.

* * *

Well that was an interesting fight, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	37. Birthday Celebration

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Thoughts in _italics_, Speech in regular. This chapter will start off with just a little prior to the fight.

* * *

Chapter 37 (Birthday Celebration)

"It's been a while since we've seen them again," Riza said while sitting next to Roy. She was referring to the homunculi, after Calida and Javad fought them, they left their hideout deserted and hid somewhere else. Roy crossed his arms over and stared blankly ahead.

"They're probably giving us some time alone so we can forget about them," Roy stated. "If we forget about them, we get comfortable, and if we get comfortable, they can strike again." Riza nodded and placed her hand on Roy's back; she rubbed her hand in a circular motion and rested her head on Roy's shoulder.

"Let's not think about them today though, it's Calida's seventeenth birthday, it's a special day for her." Roy smiled and nodded his head, they had celebrated Javad's seventeenth a couple months prior, and Calida was one of the main driving forces behind his celebration. Now it was Javad that was driving this celebration, he was with Riza and Winry in making sure everything was perfect.

"No bastard better show up today, and I think you know who I mean by bastard." Riza frowned and closed her eyes, of course she knew who Roy was talking about, and she was going to be sure to have her guns by her side if he came by. She sighed and glanced over to see Javad and Calida walking around outside, ever since the fight with the homunculi, Calida stayed near Javad. She was afraid of losing him; she couldn't bear to lose him, the one man that meant the most to her now. "Riza, I love you so much." Riza smiled and lifted her hand to the side of Roy's face, she gracefully titled his head and kissed his lips.

"I love you too." When they parted their tender embrace, they saw Calida and Javad standing next to them, as though they were waiting for something. "Calida, it's a good day today, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah Mom, it's beautiful. I'm just thinking, you and Dad really seem to love each other." Riza nodded and Roy let out a smile, Calida then gave her mom a hug and crossed her arms. "I hope I'll find someone like Dad, one day. A man that is good and not part of the corrupt male species, which seems to be all of them…" Javad rolled his eyes and smirked, he was going to make sure that Calida was happy, because he loved her and wanted her to be happy.

"I can't safely say that every man is a good one," Javad said while crossing his arms. Everyone blinked and looked over at Javad, they raised their eyebrows and Javad slowly opened his eyes. "There are some good ones out there, and I'm sure the one perfect man for you is someone you'll find one day. You may have already found him, though." Javad smiled softly and Calida's parents both smiled at him, Calida blinked and then took Javad in a hug, which took him by surprise.

"Thank you for being such a good friend to me all this time, Javad." Javad smiled and brought his hand up to pat Calida's back, she rested her head on his chest for a moment and let out a breath. "I thought I was taller than you…"

"Heh, he had a growth spurt," Ed said as he walked out of the house. He had been standing in the doorway for about a minute, surveying the area for any signs of trouble. "Come on inside, Winry says the cake is done."

"Oh, we're having cake? Great, I like cake, can't wait to try it!" Calida walked inside with Riza, Roy stood up and pat Javad on the shoulder, he smiled and Javad looked over with a raised eyebrow.

"Thank you for being a person that I can trust around my daughter," Roy said with a quiet voice. Javad blinked and smiled as he looked over, Ed chuckled and crossed his arms while leaning against the wall of the house. "I wasn't even sure what to think of you when I heard about you first, being Fullmetal's son and someone I never met before in my life…then Calida told us all these things about you, and I only slightly thought better of you. Then you came back into this world, it was very commendable, because you came back for Calida."

"You did better than I did," Ed said with a smirk. He shook his head and chuckled as he pushed himself from the wall, he then turned around and walked back into the house.

"Yes, you did do better, but then, you've helped me trust more in you. You've taken care of Calida during her time of need, she still needs you by her side…"

"I promise I'm going to stay by her side no matter what," Javad said with a quiet voice. "I'm not going to let you down, and I'm definitely not going to let Calida down." Roy smiled and patted Javad's back.

"Okay, let's go inside, I'm sure they're waiting on us." Javad nodded and walked inside with Roy, they found Megan playing with Sapphire, while Winry was doing something in the kitchen and Calida was talking to Pinako and Ed. Ed had moved his family into Central, Pinako even lived in Central. It was not only safest, but they wanted to be close to Calida and Ed's work. Javad felt someone place their hand on Javad's shoulder, he glanced over and saw Riza smiling at him.

"Javad, come with me a moment," Riza said while smiling at him. Javad nodded and walked with Riza over to the couch and sat down, she crossed her arm and leaned back slightly. "You know, I don't say this enough, but I really am happy that you're here with Calida."

"Yeah, she's everything to me and more, I won't let anything bad happen to her." Riza smiled and glanced over at Javad, a smirk formed on her face and her eyes narrowed.

"If you ever do anything to hurt her, I'm going to shoot off your man parts." Javad blinked, unsure of whether or not Riza was joking. "Do you think I'm joking, Javad? I don't joke."

"I-I promise you, I won't do a thing to hurt her…you know that…I assume."

"Yes, I know that, and I'm glad that you've taken good care of her. It makes me feel good knowing that my daughter can be happy and know that there are some good men out there. It's been rough for her, having to deal with what Caldor's done to her, and personally I didn't know if you'd come back when you left her behind. I was very happy when you came back for her, and trust me when I say that she was very happy about it as well." Riza smiled and gave Javad a quick hug, she then stood up and walked into the kitchen to help finish putting the frosting on the cake.

"Yeah…" Javad glanced over at Calida who was now sitting down in a chair, Sapphire jumped up onto her lap and curled up in a ball. Calida placed her hand on Sapphire and looked up at Javad, he smiled and slowly stood up. At that moment, Riza and Winry came out of the kitchen with the cake, it was a round, chocolate cake with some strawberries on top of it. It was laced with seventeen candles going all around, the party was now underway.

"Mmm, that's a good looking cake," Calida said while slowly standing up and holding Sapphire closely to her chest. Everyone grinned and took the cake to a large table, Calida sat down at the table with everyone else and Javad made sure to stand up next to her along with Riza and Winry.

"Hope you enjoy it. Do you want to light the candles or shall we?"

"If you try to light the candles, you might burn the whole house down." Javad chuckled and Calida let out a smirk, she snapped her fingers and flames appeared on the candles. "There, I've lit the candles. Sorry Javad, but I can't risk letting someone who doesn't know fire around these candles."

"Oh but I know how to light candles, and I know how to spark a flame, all I have to do is get you mad and then boom, fire is all over the place." Calida raised her eyebrow and Javad smirked while crossing his arms.

"Was that a challenge just now?"

"Nope, I'm just saying that you got a fiery personality and that's what we love about you." Calida blinked and the others in the room chuckled at the statement, she shook her head and turned to her cake.

"Yeah, I'm going to make a wish and blow out my candles now." Calida closed her eyes and smiled, when she opened her mouth, she blew all the flames out. Javad patted his chest and looked around, Calida raised her eyebrow and looked at him. "What are you doing?"

"It's amazing, I'm still here!" Calida laughed lightly and Riza shook her head as she started taking the candles out of the cake.

"Well I didn't wish you away, that's for sure." Javad blinked and smiled softly as Winry walked over to a counter and picked up some plates and silverware for the cake.

"Okay guys, I'm going to cut the cake, what part do you want, Calida?" Winry asked while placing a knife above the cake. "Well it's all the same really, so how big of a piece do you want?"

"I don't care how big it is, really." Winry smiled and cut a fairly sized piece, not too big and not too small. She placed the cake on one of the plates and moved the cake onto it.

"Here you go."

"Thank you." Sapphire made a mewing sound and hopped onto Calida's lap, Calida looked down and smiled as the cat curled up into a ball and went to sleep. "I love this cat, she's so cute." Calida looked up and waited until everyone had their cake and was sitting down at the table. "Is everyone ready?"

"Yeah, let's eat," Javad said while staring at his slice of cake. "Then after this, let's go spar, if you want to." Calida nodded and placed the fork into the cake, with everyone there, this birthday was going to be one of the best.

* * *

There's the chapter, I hope you liked it.


	38. The Third Soul

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Thoughts in _italics_, Speech in regular. This chapter will start off with just a little prior to the fight.

* * *

Chapter 38 (The Third Soul)

_"Green hair, fingerless, black gloves, short clothing, and no shoes, I'm having another nightmare,"_ Caldor thought while shaking his head. A man with long green hair was standing in front of him, laughing maniacally, and he too was starting to turn into this menace. _"Who is this, what is this? Is this the shape that my homunculus has taken? Is this the homunculus soul inside of me? No, that can't be possible, it isn't right."_

"A human soul and a homunculus soul!" The figure shouted out. "That's what you've got, that's what you all should have. You have three!" Caldor shook his head and sat up in the bed. He didn't know what this person was, and he wasn't too fond of it. He blinked and looked over to see Blaze and Bullet looking at him, their arms crossed over their chests.

"You're awake finally," Blaze said in a low voice. "Come on, Hecate needs to see us about something." Caldor nodded and jumped out of his bed, he then followed the other two homunculi to the main meeting room of the hideout. "I don't know what she wants to talk about, but it seemed to be important."

"Yeah well everything she has to say is important," Caldor said while letting out a yawn. Blaze and Bullet rolled their eyes and let out a groan; Caldor raised his eyebrows and stared at them. "What?"

"You're the strongest of us all, but you're also the one with the biggest human soul. We don't know why." Caldor shrugged and scratched the back of his head. He didn't think he even had a human soul, but then he wasn't so sure because of some trouble that had been happening. "You lock up, right? You will be doing something and then you'll freeze, you can't finish the job. Am I correct?"

"What does it matter?" Caldor scowled and looked ahead. The human soul had been left in him and he wasn't sure why. He thought back to the cave with Megan. He remembered one of his human memories and froze up before making a blow that would surely have killed the little girl. Caldor clenched his fists up and growled; he wasn't able to kill her, and he needed to be able to do that.

"Why have you not done what Hecate has ordered you to do?" Caldor raised his eyebrow and then shrugged. Hecate wanted him to continue raping Calida, but the first time was the only time the human soul didn't stop him completely. Every time he tried to hurt her after that, he would look into her eyes and memories would flood him.

"I wouldn't mind being in complete control over that human soul. I wouldn't mind destroying it entirely."

"You can't do that," A voice said from the side of the room. The three homunculi looked over to see Hecate sitting in a chair, watching them closely. "You three are special, different from regular homunculi, and you can be stronger than you are, but you are not."

"Why? Why are we not strong enough?" Bullet asked while clenching his fists. "We should be stronger than humans."

"Oh you are, but you could be much stronger. Listen to me well, Wrath…" Hecate stood up and walked over to Bullet; she placed her hand on the side of his face and smiled as she looked into his eyes. "You have the power of two homunculi in you."

"What?" Caldor and Blaze raised their eyebrows and Bullet had a look of extreme confusion.

"People believe they know everything about homunculi, but they don't." Hecate turned around and walked slightly away, she blinked and looked back to Caldor. "Take your father for example."

"Pride is not my father," Caldor said with narrow eyes. Hecate chuckled and crossed her arms, she slowly shook her head and a smirk formed on her lips.

"That is your human soul saying that. Indeed the father of that soul is King Bradley. However, do you wonder why you hate Pride so much? Do you know why you feel he is a bastard?" Caldor shrugged and Hecate let out a sigh. "You see, a homunculus that is killed will go back to their human form, just as Pride, Greed, and Lust did. Then when they die and are turned into homunculi again, their human soul is actually very strong because the homunculi soul is weakened from having been wiped out the first time. That's why I suspect Pride may betray us one day."

"You think he'll betray us because his human soul is stronger?"

"Inside of you, the human soul and the homunculus soul duke it out for power. That is what happens when someone is a homunculus the first time. The human and the homunculus are balanced out in strength. When the homunculus body dies, the soul goes with it. The human soul waits around because it is still connected to that body. When that body reforms as a human, the body in the grave vanishes. The body on the ground is the pure, genuine body, and the human soul goes into it. Then the homunculus soul is still weak from the first death, so it's weaker the second time."

"Right now the homunculus soul and the human soul are fighting inside Pride? The human soul is stronger so he can remember everything?"

"Yes, but you three are special because you have another homunculus as backup. However if you were to die, that homunculus would probably be thrust out of your body and into the world, yet it would only have one life and probably die very easily."

"Why do we have two homunculi souls?" Blaze asked while crossing his arms.

"Envy, Gluttony, Wrath, these three never died at all. They were transmuted. However, when a homunculus is transmuted, they don't go through the gate properly; they are trapped at the gate. They're at the gate forever, so when someone performs a human transmutation on somebody, that soul clings onto it."

Caldor's eyes widened in shock, he tried to think back to the gate, and he remembered that he saw something else there. When he opened the gate for Javad to pass through, there had been a strange looking man sitting next to the gate. This man had long green hair and was wearing a black halter-top, and what looked like a black miniskirt. That man saw him and then grabbed onto him. So then, with that man, another homunculus soul went into him as well.

"I see what you're saying, Lady Hecate," Caldor said while clenching his fists. "The souls of the prior homunculi representing us are inside of us and that's all I get."

"Your human soul is stronger because of the alchemy he performed in his life. That's why you may freeze up slightly, but you are unlike Pride in the sense that he can control his homunculus form when instead he should control his human form. By that, I mean that Pride is closer to being human than any of you three."

"He's just human with a bit of extra strength and vitality then," Blaze said with a light chuckle. "Yet we can't kill him; why?"

"I don't allow it; we still have use for him. Now, the reason I have called you three here is because you need to bond together with that other homunculus inside of you, otherwise your body is going to be a battleground between three different souls that clash with each other. If you were to let this happen, eventually the second homunculus soul would expel itself from your body in the instant that it saw you were weak." Hecate tapped her chin and crossed her arms over once more, thinking about how to explain the situation.

"Earlier you said it would expel itself from our bodies if we died, because we had another homunculus inside, so it does that already?"

"No, no, three souls are too many, and the homunculus soul is the weakest of the three. Without being bonded, it will clash with your strong homunculus soul and clash for control over the body with the human soul. At any given moment, that soul will break from your body and expel itself. Yet, it won't do it now, but the longer you go on, the more chance that it will expel itself from you and take its original form. When it does that, it's probably weaker than Pride would be. Though strong enough to fight, it can die easily."

"Okay…I think I understand that…" Caldor scoffed and glanced to the side, in reality understanding very little of what she spoke.

"To bond with it, you become stronger as one homunculus soul. You can control the human form, yet you'll still have memories and so forth, but you will no longer freeze up and yield to those memories. That would happen if you beat your soul, but if you were to lose against it…your homunculus soul would be destroyed and the other soul would probably manage to destroy the human soul."

"I thought you said this was the weakest?" Caldor asked while shifting his eyes over to Hecate. Blaze and Bullet merely nodded, both equally confused. "Also what battle are you talking about?"

"The very reason I have called you here was so that you could fight your soul inside your own mind, and when you do this, if you lose against that soul, you are sucked into it. If you're sucked into it, then it regains its original strength, overtakes your body, and devours the human soul. In simple terms, you pretty much lose everything and go berserk."

"We wouldn't have any more of our memories? Isn't that a good thing," Blaze stated while smirking.

"Blaze, look at it this way, if you were to be devoured by Gluttony, then you would be the equivalent of a brainless monster going on a rampage. Your nerve and mind would be shot, you would have zero control over your actions and impulses, you would be crazy, a madman."

"Oh…and if we won…"

"If you win, you have control and your human soul will _never_ overtake you. Every homunculus is threatened with the possibility of their human soul taking control of the body, and I believe Caldor has already experienced this." Caldor frowned and glanced at his hand that he had been unable to kill Megan with.

"If it will make me strong enough to overpower my human soul, then I'll gladly do it," Caldor said while glancing up at Hecate. Blaze and Bullet nodded, and with that, Hecate merely grinned.

"You will be in a comatose like state, when you're doing this inner battle, time will go out here faster than it seems to go in your mind. No, a better way to explain this…in your mind when you throw a punch, it's possible for a month to take place outside your body."

"Oh, so how long do you predict we'll be comatose?"

"Maybe one to two years for all I know, but Pride will handle this fine, and I'll be sure to find another homunculus if I have to. Oh and by the way, if you win, you'll also gain an ability that the homunculus before you had."

"Yeah, yeah, we got it," Caldor stated while crossing his arms. "We win, gain an ability and be stronger…we lose, we lose our minds and everything, and if we tie?"

"If you tie, then you are in the same basic state that you're in now. Nothing much is accomplished at all. Of course, if you tie, that means you're going to be the one that risks having that other homunculus soul exit your body. You better not be in the middle of a battle when that happens, but I'm sure it won't…If you win or if you lose, there's going to be one homunculus soul in you either way."

"Okay then, well I'm sure to take control and all, as long as I can pledge my loyalty to you and you only, Lady Hecate." Blaze and Bullet nodded and Hecate smiled at them. She led them over to a few chairs and let them sit down. She started to speak a chant, as the chant continued on; the homunculi closed their eyes and drifted into a comatose sleep.

"I will see you when you awaken."

* * *

So now we learn of the fate of the three transmuted homunculi! Soon we shall learn what will happen here. I'll let you in on one hint, there's going to be one tie, one loss, and one success. I won't tell you what though.


	39. Homunculi Attack

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Thoughts in _italics_, Speech in regular. This chapter will start off with just a little prior to the fight.

* * *

Chapter 39 (The Homunculi Attack)

"Nightmares are still frequent for her," Roy said in a quiet voice. Riza nodded and walked through the store with him, it was true, Calida still had nightmares and horrible flashbacks from the rape that occurred. "Last year was her eighteenth birthday, now she's nineteen, and she still has those nightmares from her rape…"

"She always will have nightmares, Roy," Riza responded. She sighed and picked up an apple, it was red and ripe enough to eat, so she put the apple into a bag. "Javad's been helping her heal, but these past two years he hasn't been around Calida as much."

"I blame myself." Riza raised her eyebrow and glanced over, Roy had issued that Ed and Javad go and find the homunculi and report back when they found them. They had been gone for most of the year and returned maybe six times each month to give a status update. "Maybe I should tell them to stop looking."

"That might be best, you were too afraid to send Calida with them, but you had a good thought in mind when you did. It's true she needs to be able to be by herself and not have to rely on Javad to keep her safe, but even still, she's glancing over her shoulder every ten seconds it seems like."

Calida could handle herself, but without Javad around, and whenever she was alone, she was afraid of someone like Caldor sneaking up on her. She knew she couldn't fight Caldor alone, and whenever she was the only person in the room, she would be the most afraid.

"It's been three years since the attack on her, and I'm still angry about it," Roy said with a low growl in his voice. He clenched his fist and Riza gently placed her hand over his, it relaxed his muscles when she did that. "At eighteen, it's usually time for her to move out and into her own house, but I don't want her to live alone."

"She hates being alone, she says that it is because of what happened in Liore. Caldor went into the house and nearly raped her again, but Javad entered in and Caldor left. The only way she's going to learn to be alone, is to take it slowly. Someone needs to stay in the same building while she's in another room, still making her safe…what you've done is place Javad far away, and he's the one that is usually closest."

"Yeah, but Winry's always with her, either Winry or Megan is…" Riza nodded and put another apple into the sack, she sighed and slowly shook her head. In the past three years, Calida was never really left by herself; Roy had always seen to it that she was protected by someone. If in the house, he or Riza was usually in the same room, and if they weren't there, Roy would call over Winry and Megan. Usually it was Javad that was around Calida elsewhere, and Roy had just sent Javad on a mission that was taking a hell of a long time to actually manage to complete.

"Do you think that Javad and Ed will ever find the homunculi, Roy? I mean it; they need to find out where their hideout is." Roy sighed and walked with Riza to the cashier, they handed the cashier their money and left the store.

"They call us whenever they can, they visit six times a month, and yet they haven't found the hideout. We don't know where to look for them, so do you think it's hopeless? Should I tell them to stop the mission and come home? Calida would probably be better off if they're around."

"Roy, Calida does need to grow, even though she needs her friends and family around, she also needs to learn that we're not always going to be there…I guess."

"She'll never heal on her own, as long as Caldor is still alive; someone has to be with her all the time. So, they should remain on the mission?"

"Maybe, but we haven't seen the homunculi anywhere around, so there's nothing they can do but search for the hideout. If the homunculi show up, it might be a good idea to pull them back home, but the creatures have been gone for quite some time."

"Yeah, maybe we should have them stop looking; the homunculi haven't shown themselves to be a threat in the last two years, right?"

"Yeah, but when Ed and Javad do return home, Javad still shouldn't be around Calida all the time. We have to let her progress and feel comfortable with being alone."

"Look who it is, it's the Fuhrer!" A voice exclaimed from the side. Roy and Riza looked over to see Blaze staring them down with an insane look on his face.

"Roy, get down!" Riza exclaimed while pushing Roy to the ground and avoiding a fire blast. Blaze laughed and charged toward the two, Riza dropped her bags and pulled out two firearms and began to shoot Blaze. Roy pulled her out of the way in time to save her from being swiped by Blaze's fiery arm. "This is one of the homunculi, but he seems different."

"I'll take him on," Roy said while standing up and snapping his fingers. Blaze laughed as Roy's flame engulfed him; the flame did not have much effect on him though. "Damn it."

"You're going to burn!" Blaze shouted out. Roy grit his teeth and snapped his fingers once more, Riza shot at the homunculi while Roy's fire engulfed him. Blaze laughed once more and sent hot flames toward Riza; Roy jumped in the way and took the full force of the fire.

"Damn!"

"Roy! Are you okay?" Riza asked as Roy fell on one knee and held his shoulder. She knelt beside him and placed a hand on his back; Roy nodded and looked at blaze.

"For some reason, his flame isn't that hot. My flame seems to have done a slight bit of damage though, look…" Riza looked at Blaze and saw the man's body slightly burnt, so Roy had done something to him. That wasn't the only thing they did, Blaze seemed to be sucking in his own fire. "Damn, how can he stand eating his fire?"

"I always wondered how he could stand turning his body to fire, but that's not a problem. Yet this is the first we've seen Blaze actually eating his fire…" Roy slowly stood up, Riza with him, they decided to continue fighting if they could.

"Hah, I'm a distraction for you, aren't I?" Blaze asked while tilting his head. "Damn, I miss Lust, who's the one that killed her? Was it your daughter that did it? Oh, another one of us has gone there, they know where you live."

"Another one of you has…oh no!" Riza looked over at Roy and gave him a panicked expression, he had the same basic worried look on his face and both knew that Caldor had to be going to where Calida was. "We have to get to Calida…"

"Yeah, but do we want to let this guy run around town?" Roy asked, unsure of what to do. Calida was more important to him, but he was afraid of what would happen if he ignored Blaze. "That's it, Calida is more important than this guy. Even if Winry's there and Calida could probably fight, the chances of her fighting against Caldor on her own…"

"Oh don't worry!" Blaze exclaimed with roaring and insane laughter. "Caldor's still asleep!" Riza raised her eyebrow and Roy stared on in confusion.

"He's still…_asleep_?" Blaze laughed and shot some flames toward Roy; he snapped his fingers and directed he fire back toward Blaze. "What the hell do you mean by that?" Blaze laughed once more, his laugher sent shivers down Roy's spine. Blaze pointed toward Roy and shot another blast of flame toward him; the flame hit Roy once more but didn't take much effect. _"His fire is barely burning my clothing."_ Roy narrowed his eyes and threw a rock toward Blaze, only to have the man eat the large rock.

"You thought that was going to work? I am Gluttony, I can eat anything!" Blaze started to attack them but stopped; he smirked and crossed his arms over. "You're in luck; Lady Hecate has requested me to return to her, goodbye." Blaze took off and Roy started to follow, but Riza stopped him and let out a sigh.

"He's going too fast, and even if we could follow him, we don't know what we'd run into," Riza said with a quiet voice. "We need to get back to where Calida is at, and fast, because I don't know what is going on right now." Roy nodded and hurried with Riza to their car.

-NEW SCENE-

"I am much stronger now," Bullet said with a sneer on his face. Calida grunted as a bullet grazed her arm, she narrowed her eyes and drew her sword.

"You made a bad mistake coming here," Calida said while tightening her grip on the sword and engulfing the blade with blue fire. Calida glanced back at the doorway and saw Winry and Megan hiding, she had to protect them. Calida turned her gaze toward Bullet and narrowed her eyes. "How dare you break into my father's house, to be honest, I'm both surprised and glad they sent you here."

"Oh?" Bullet raised his eyebrow and smirked. "I'll have you know, Caldor is still asleep, but he's definitely going to love seeing you when he wakes up." Calida took a step back and her body shook slightly, she clenched her eyes shut and opened them to reveal her anger.

"Don't mention that bastard's name, he touched me…I hate him!" Calida charged toward Bullet and slashed her sword across his chest, burning and cutting him at the same time.

"Damn, that's a good blade, but you're not the only one with something that looks like an advantage." Calida stared at Bullet and saw several bumps over his body, her eyes widened and she knew what was coming.

_"Damn!"_ Calida jumped out of the way in time to avoid being shot by the several bullets that shot out of his body, in all it was fifty bullets. Since there had been fifty bumps on his body, that told the number of ammo. "Nice try!"

"Hey bitchy, Caldor's not the only one who can have fun with you." Calida gasped and Bullet grinned, she took a step back and growled, she clenched her eyes shut and shook her head to try and shake off the flashbacks that were coming. "Oh my, is something wrong?" Bullet took a step toward Calida but jumped back as she slashed at him with her blade. "My, my, having a bit of trouble remembering Caldor?"

"Damn you, damn you for bringing him up, you asshole!" Calida snapped her fingers and the oxygen in the air was sent away from Bullet. "You may shoot, but in airless space, the bullet will have little, if no effect."

"Damn…This puts you at a disadvantage though, without air, you can't hit me with your flame!"

"True, and if I go near you, I may walk into the airless space I've just created and die, so I'm not stupid." Bullet growled and jumped back, running into where the oxygen was. Calida snapped her fingers once more and moved the air away from Bullet once more. "I know that as a homunculus, you tend to not die easily without air, but that's fine." Calida figured she could use air and water to take down Blaze, but her air was still not at best. Her water skills were better, yet not perfect. If anything, her earth skills were best, next to fire. _"Ground doesn't need air support to function; I can use any of the earth elements to take him down. Yet if I go against Blaze, he's fire and the only thing I can use is grass to grab onto his body and rock to hit him…not too good."_

"Damn, I like the air!" Bullet looked over to see Roy and Riza standing in the doorway, he growled and jumped out of a nearby window. Calida sheathed her sword and let out a small sigh, Winry and Megan came from their hiding spot and the two parents ran over to Calida and hugged her.

"God, we were so worried!" Riza exclaimed as she hugged Calida tight and kissed her forehead quickly, taking the girl by surprise.

"We met up with Blaze, he said one of the homunculi had been here," Roy stated while watching the window. "We thought…"

"You thought that one guy was going to be the one coming?" Calida asked while raising her eyebrow. "Don't worry…so the homunculi are back I guess, maybe we should bring Javad and Ed back."

"Yeah, that's what we're thinking, but we still need to find out where their hideout is."

"Well then, why don't you make me go with Javad and Ed? I mean, you didn't let me go with them once before."

"Do you think you could handle looking for the hideout?" Calida thought for a moment and then nodded her head.

"If Javad goes, I go, that's what I've really wanted to do, I think…So, yeah, I want to look for the hideout with him." Roy looked into Calida's eyes and frowned, he knew she'd be determined, and he was afraid to let her go so easily like that. He trusted Javad, he wanted her to be safe and he thought Javad would do just that, protecting her. Riza placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and smiled at him, he then smiled and gave Calida a gentle hug.

"Sure, when Javad gets back, we'll talk to him about you going with him. As long as you'll be safe, but I have no doubts that you will be perfectly safe with him."

"Heh, you seem confident of that." Calida smirked and crossed her arms, Roy was confident; he knew Javad wouldn't let her out of his sight no matter what. "Maybe once we find the hideout, we'll definitely tell you were it is."

"Good, speaking of Javad, he and Ed will probably be back in three days. I think we can handle things until then."

* * *

Well, it seems Blaze went insane, he loses. Bullet doesn't look to be insane. Caldor is still out. Hmm, what's going to happen next? Stick around


	40. Javad and Ed Return

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Thoughts in _italics_, Speech in regular. This chapter will start off with just a little prior to the fight.

* * *

Chapter 40 (Javad and Ed Return)

Ed and Javad walked toward the home of the Mustangs, they were tired of this mission, and had been searching in vain for far too long. "How many side missions have we even done?" Javad asked with narrow eyes. "I can't take this anymore; I don't want to be away from Calida!" Ed glanced over at Javad and sighed, there wasn't anything he could do for him.

"I know you don't, I don't want to be away from Winry either," Ed responded while crossing his arms. He knew he must have broken his automail hundreds of times, and not once had Winry gotten upset over that. "Winry really did change over the years, that's for sure."Javad nodded and stepped onto the front porch, he grinned and waited as Ed walked up.

"Hurry up already, you move like an old man." Ed's eye twitched and Javad merely chuckled, not really caring about Ed's reaction. "I'm just going to go ahead and knock so that they know we're here." He couldn't wait to see Calida, or his mom and sister; it had been a week since they last saw each other anyway. Javad raised his hand to knock on the door, but just as his hand got there, Calida opened it. "Uh…Hey there Calida…" Calida smirked and crossed her arms over.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in, it's Javad." Calida stared at Javad and raised her eyebrow, he had a mock forlorn face on. "Aw, what's wrong with you today? Did you expect me to go all girly and throw my arms around you while screaming out your name and saying 'it's you' a million times?" Calida chuckled and pointed her thumb toward the house next door. "There is a girl over there that would do that for you, I'm sure."

"Calida, you know I'm not interested in other girls." Calida raised her eyebrow and Ed gave a slight laugh, Javad winced and realized how open he just made himself for another insult. Calida laughed and shook her head.

"Too damn easy…" Calida wrapped her arms around Javad and gave him a close hug. "It's good to see you back, Javad. Come inside, I'm sure you don't want to stand out here all day." Javad smiled and walked inside the house, Sapphire quickly bounded over to him and mewed.

"Sapphire's doing pretty well," Javad said while picking up the cat and giving it a slight hug, he always would love the cat. Ed stepped inside and looked around, trying to see where the others would be.

"It's Javad, he's back!" Megan squealed as she ran out of a room. She quickly wrapped her arms around Javad and hugged him close; he chuckled and patted her back. The young girl quickly released him and ran over to Ed, he hugged her close and rubbed her head. "Dad, we're glad you're back, something scary happened a few days ago." Javad glanced over at Megan and raised his eyebrow, he then turned his gaze to Calida and his face turned to that of concern.

"Heh, don't worry, everything's fine," Calida said while letting out a small chuckle. "Three days ago, one of the homunculi, Bullet, showed up here. Mrs. Elric and Megan were the only ones here, so I had to fight the homunculus. He got away though."

"It was just Bullet?" Javad asked in a quick voice. He placed his arms on Calida's arms and looked into her eyes, still concerned that nothing happened to her while he was away. "You're okay? Nothing else happened at all?" Calida closed her eyes and smiled; she brushed Javad off and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm just fine. You really don't have to worry about me." Javad chuckled and a smirk formed on his lips.

I don't want anything to happen to my best friend when I'm not around. Of course…you know I always worry about you, you and everyone else that I know." Calida nodded and crossed her arms, Javad did worry more about her than anyone else, though. She turned around and walked into another room, and then she came out with Roy, Riza, and Winry.

"You're back, it's good to see your return," Roy said with a smirk. "So, what's the update now? Have you found out where the homunculi are hiding?"

"No, and I think we've searched every surrounding country, even," Ed responded with a sigh. He rubbed the back of his head and groaned, all the searching was killing him. Roy tapped his chin and stepped next to Calida, he smiled and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Well then, you have two options, end the search and stick around here while we send hired men to find them, or continue your search with Calida by your side."

"What?" Ed blinked and looked over at Javad, thinking about all the dangers that would mean putting Calida into. She could fight well, that was true, but could she face Caldor if they happened to run into him?

"I don't know what option to go with," Javad said while closing his hands. "I suppose we could all go on this mission? We've searched everywhere, the more of us searching, wouldn't that be better?"

"Yes, but I have to stay here in Amestris," Roy said while crossing his arms. "I can't leave the country, and I can't very well leave Central all that much. Riza is my first lady, she can't leave on such a mission that often, either. Calida however, can."

"Just do what you feel like doing," Riza said while rubbing her chin. "I think you're obviously thinking about the safety of my daughter, right?"

"Of course I am," Javad replied. He looked over at Calida, he could see that she really wanted to be with him, and was sure that she'd follow him on the mission no matter what he said. If she was just like her mother, than she would probably follow him anywhere.

"You may need some protection," Calida said while smirking. She drew her sword out and tapped Javad's automail arm, it may have been tucked under a sleeve, but now it crashed to the floor in many pieces. Javad chuckled nervously and everyone stared at the broken automail. "Uh, what just happened? Other than the obvious, why is your automail broken?"

"Care to enlighten us…Ed?" Winry asked while looking over at Ed. She grinned and he raised his hands up and gave her the most innocent look that he could. "Something tells me you're behind this." Javad snickered and Calida sheathed her sword.

"Don't worry Mom, Dad and I were actually sparring just before coming here. Actually, we had fought someone, but the sparring is really what did the damage. We fought this guy that was using alchemy, and he banged my automail up pretty badly, Dad took him out and then we sparred to see how well my automail was."

"Let me guess, he kicked it too hard and the screws became loose?"

"Yeah pretty much…" Winry chuckled and sighed, she then smiled and walked over to Ed.

"How is your automail, Ed?"

"It is fine, all the screws in place and everything."

"Okay, Javad, come with me and let's have you refitted with some new automail. Then we can all discuss this mission." Javad nodded and followed Winry into another room, the others decided to wait around for Javad to start his screaming, but he never did.

"I would have expected him to scream out from the pain," Calida said while blinking and crossing her arms. Ed chuckled and shook his head slightly, Javad had become tougher, that much could be said.

"He's much stronger than he used to be," Ed stated. "He can handle the pain of that automail by now, and his endurance is definitely better off after all the sparring that he and I did over these last two years."

"Yeah, I can see that he became stronger, that much is evident. Even still, I want to go with him to beat the homunculi up, and I don't care if one of them is one that I can't fight. I'm stronger too, I need to go out there and fight with him."

"That's pretty much the same thing your mother said about me," Roy stated while laughing. "It was a promise we made with each other, she would follow me to the Fuhrer, but that's when she made a goal of her own." Roy wrapped his arm around Riza's waist and softly kissed her cheek, she smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. "She said she would follow me to my goal and I would follow her to hers."

"Once he became Fuhrer, he would have to marry me," Riza said in a soft voice. Calida raised her eyebrow and tilted her head to the side, Roy hadn't been Fuhrer when they had her, so he wasn't Fuhrer when they married. "Of course, that goal did change, and it was when the country was safe again. That would have been when he defeated Pride, but it didn't work out like I wanted." Roy chuckled nervously and Riza let out a small sigh.

"Yeah, I got a bit depressed and left for two years…"

"A _bit_ depressed, you say?" Roy rubbed the back of his neck and Ed laughed at him.

"Hey, watch it, Shrimp! You're the one who left for _sixteen_ years." Ed narrowed his eyes and stared at Roy, Roy glared back at Ed and Riza let out a sigh.

"Hey, no fighting in my house," Riza said in a warning tone of voice.

"Heh, we weren't going to fight." Calida shook her head and walked over to the doorway of the room where Javad and Winry were, she leaned against the wall and looked on as Winry finished connecting the automail. She was impressed by the fact that he never even complained, the pain didn't even seem to bother him much at all. Javad sat up and placed his hand on his shoulder as he moved his arm in circles, adjusting to the new automail.

"Thanks mom," Javad said with a smile. Winry hugged him and he stood up, he glanced over at Calida and blinked. "How long have you been there?"

"Not long, how do you feel about sparring?" Javad grinned at the offer, it was something that he could never turn down. Winry chuckled and the other three adults walked up behind Calida, each letting out a sigh.

"Sure, meet me in the backyard, I would love to test out my new arm! Plus, I can't wait to see how well you fare against me, I'm _sure_ to win this time!" Javad walked out of the room and Calida smirked, she would still beat him.

* * *

Hope you liked this chapter, the next one should be good, you'll actually see Calida and Javad spar this time. Stick around.


	41. Calida and Javad Spar

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Thoughts in _italics_, Speech in regular. This chapter will start off with just a little prior to the fight.

* * *

Chapter 41 (Javad and Calida Spar)

Calida stepped out into the backyard and saw Javad leaning against a tree, he glanced over at her and grinned while pushing himself from the tree. "Okay, are you ready to spar?" Javad asked while walking toward Calida, she grinned and started walking toward him. They met in the middle of the yard and shook each other's hands.

"You know I'm ready," Calida said with a smirk on her face. "You're going down." Roy, Riza, Ed, Winry, and Megan all stared at them from inside the house, each of them knowing things were going to heat up. "Javad, my friend, I was _born_ ready. You're going down, again, and again." Each of the surveyors knew that once things had begun, nothing would get in between them. It was like a real fight, it was intense, it was spectacular, and always a fun thing to watch. Nothing could interrupt them now, they were in their own personal world, such a world with no other soul or object around them.

"The rules, they are the same as always. We'll go without alchemy for as long as we feel, then it is upped to the use of whatever alchemy." Calida nodded and then smirked, thinking of an idea.

"How about we up it a little more…" Javad raised his eyebrow and Calida pointed to her blade. "You know this blade is pretty good, it even shoots the fire…though that's all I got for you. You should be able to use your guns when we choose to up it to that." Javad's eyebrows raised up and he tilted his head to the side, considering that.

"Well, I don't want to injure you by using my guns." Calida laughed and shook her head, he couldn't possibly injure her that well. "Okay, if that is what you say, but I'm not too sure."

"Trust me on this, Javad, it will be fine. I don't think you're going to do anything to me unless you use the heavier artillery. So, do we agree that you can use your guns? I want to see your real alchemy in action anyway, since your air alchemy is only an aide for your bullets." Javad nodded his approval and Calida grinned. "Okay then, let's go."

"Good luck Calida." Calida smirked and then got into her fighting stance, Javad did the same. They charged toward each other, Javad threw a punch and Calida deflected it with the side of her right arm. She then brought her other fist down and hit Javad in the abdomen, both tried to hold back and not use their full strength, so they didn't do too much damage. Javad brought up his leg and Calida quickly deflected it, opening her self to be hit in the side by Javad's arm.

"Good hit, Javad! Now, try this on for size!" Calida dodged a punch and swirled around to Javad's back and hit him with her fist, he then turned around and lifted his knee up, getting Calida in the chest. "Ah, you're always the man who goes for the girl's chest, eh?"

"Cali!" Calida laughed and sent her leg toward Javad, he grabbed her leg but she quickly spun her body, pulling her leg from his grasp and hitting him in the shoulder with her other leg. "Good hit, thanks for not going for the head."

"Well, we can't very well knock each other out in a good sparring match, now can we?" Calida smirked and ducked down to the ground, she lifted dove in between Javad's legs and shot up, hitting Javad in the back with a back fist.

"Damn, you got me again!" Calida chuckled and tilted her head to the side, Javad leapt back and smirked. "I think we should take it up a notch." Calida shrugged and lifted her hand, snapping her fingers and sending a fire blast toward Javad. "Yikes!" He then leapt back and clasped his hands together, sending a wall from the ground to block the fire. "That one was close."

"What's wrong, Javad? You can't handle my fire?" Javad raised his eyebrows and clasped his hands together, a fist shot out from the wall he created and toward Calida. "Lame attack…" Calida snapped her fingers and sparks flew around the fist, causing it to explode.

"Aw man!" This was the part where she always had the upper hand, he would do the basic alchemy and at times he'd use his air. Javad clasped his hands together and took the air away from Calida's gloves. "There, now you can't spark a flame from those."

"I would have thought you'd learn by now, but nevermind." Calida smirked and snapped her fingers, causing vines to shoot from the grass and grab a hold of Javad's legs. "Aw, you're standing in my presence, perhaps it would be best for you to bow down for me." Calida snapped her fingers and a fine grasped Javad's shirt, it pulled him down in a bowing position, causing Calida to laugh.

"Hah, hah, very funny…" Javad grasped the vine with his hand and ripped it off of him, he then transmuted his blade and slashed the vines attached to his legs. "I see you've been working on the ground element."

"Oh yeah, I've been working on trying to get that one mastered, just like the water. Look at it this way, when it rains, you don't want to fight me." Calida smirked and snapped her fingers, a rocky fist shot up from the ground in between Javad's legs. He yelped and quickly leapt out of the way, his eyebrow twitched and he stared at Calida.

"What was that for!"

"Being a man, perhaps?" Javad rolled his eyes and clasped his hands together, a burst of wind then blew Calida to the side, knocking her against a tree. "Ouch!" Calida got on her knee and held her shoulder in pain, Javad's eyes widened and he rushed over to her side.

"Are you okay? I didn't mean to hurt you too badly!" Calida shook slightly and then smirked at Javad.

"All these years of sparring, I thought you would know that since anything goes, you shouldn't believe me when I appear to be in pain." Javad mentally cursed, Calida was always good at keeping her pain inside, so she could endure a lot. This usually meant that a sneak attack was about to come. Calida snapped her fingers and a burst of wind blew Javad back slightly. She then snapped her fingers and a tornado appeared in front of Javad.

"Oh crap." Javad ran and the tornado followed after him, it got on top of him and started to spin him around. Calida snapped her fingers and the tornado vanished, with that, Javad was sent flying into a tree. "Ouch!"

"That's what you get, Javad." Javad groaned and pushed himself up, Calida snapped her fingers rapidly and several fireballs appeared around him.

"Oh no…" Javad clasped his hands together and a ball of wind appeared around him, it blew out and put out all of the flames. "Phew, that was a close one."

"You missed one, Javad!"

"What?" Javad looked down and raised his eyebrow, a fireball was still sitting in front of him. "How strong of a flame was that?"

"That was the sole blue flame, now it's a regular flame." Javad tried to press his hands together, but the fire shot forward and hit him in the chest before he could do anything.

"Ah!" Javad sighed and stared at Calida, she smirked and placed her hand on the handle of her sword, knowing that Javad wanted to up the game. Javad smirked back and two guns appeared in his hands, the surveyors all stared at him in confusion, except for Winry. She looked at the others and explained to them about Javad's real alchemy. Calida drew her sword and blue flames engulfed it.

"Here we go, Javad, level three of our sparring game." Calida charged toward Javad and he raised his guns, she slashed at him and he ducked out of the way. He had to make sure he didn't hit Calida with any bullets, so he was glad that he was a good aim. He would have to aim for the outer edge of her clothing, or at least her sword. "This is going to be over in one swipe, little weakling!"

"Good luck with that, make sure you don't talk trash too often, Calida!"

"At least I can talk trash and back it up." Calida slashed the sword at Javad and cut his shirt with the tip of her blade. Javad shot several bullets toward Calida, she leapt back and pointed her sword forward, sending blue fire from her sword and toward Javad. The flames engulfed the bullets and melted them, then the fire hit Javad. He had clasped his hands together and protected himself with some air, making sure the fire didn't do any damage to him.

"Good shot there Calida, you didn't do too badly." Calida smirked and raised her eyebrow, she kept her blade raised.

"Oh, have I beaten you in this match, Javad?" Javad shrugged and his guns vanished, Calida sheathed her sword and grinned. Both of them were sweaty and both were panting heavily, exhausted from the sparring match. "You did well, Javad."

"Yeah, but I went easy on you."

"Uh-huh, you can say whatever you want." Calida crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, she smirked and held out her hand.

"Good job…" Javad stretched out his hand and shook Calida's, they held their hands together for a second longer before releasing. "Well, are you going to pass out there, Calida?"

"Nope, what about you, Javad, you look like you're going to pass out right on the spot." Calida sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "Hey, I can cool you off with some water if you want." Calida pointed to the pond and grinned, she snapped her fingers and sent some water onto Javad. "There you go."

"Thanks, and you look like you could use some cool air." Javad clasped his hands together and Calida closed her eyes as cool wind blew onto her. Javad glanced at Calida and watched as her hair blew in the wind, the sweat on her forehead and body glinted off of her and her bangs blew to the side, breezing over her chocolate eyes as she opened them.

"Thanks for that, Javad, I needed that." Javad nodded and leaned against the tree he was next to, after a good match, he would probably want to go to sleep pretty soon. "So, are you tired?"

"Yeah, pretty much, that match was exhausting…but still it was pretty fun."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, I enjoyed it, and I enjoyed beating you once more." Javad chuckled and slowly shook his head, Calida would probably have more points than he did, but he didn't really care. "You know, I'm just glad that you make a good sparring partner and a good friend."

"Yeah…" Javad placed his hands behind his head and glanced at the ground, he narrowed his eyes and closed his fists slightly, he had to protect her. That was his goal, he wanted to keep her safe, and he wanted to take down those that hurt her. He hated Caldor, he despised ever knowing Caldor, he despised ever being friends with him. Javad closed his eyes and remembered the meeting with Leo so long ago, he remembered his father's words to him after that, a lesson that he still didn't understand much of.

_"What will you do when Caldor dies and he turns to his human form?" Ed asked while crossing his arms and leaning against a wall. "There is no way you could forgive him, that's understandable, but when he is human, he's bound to feel guilt. Will you kill him again? Even if and when he begs for you to do the job, will you take his life? Sure, he was your best friend, and sure he was good friends with Calida, but he died and his homunculus hurt Calida and became a murderer."_

_"His homunculus is the one that did it? Heh, he's still the one that deserves to die, right? I mean…that is the case, isn't it?"_

_"You make that decision, so you couldn't protect him when he died originally, but he was still your friend. Most likely, he'll have guilt, but consider the consequences of taking his life out of hatred."_

"It was his homunculus," Javad said in a quiet voice. Calida blinked and looked over at him in confusion.

"Did you say something, Javad?" Javad looked up and over at Calida, he gazed into her eyes and closed his eyes slightly.

_"She hates his homunculus form, but does she hate the human form? Caldor's human wasn't the one that hurt her, as a human, he's innocent."_ Javad opened his eyes and stared ahead, would he be murdering Caldor if he killed him as a human? When Leo was pleading for Ed to take his life, Ed only responded by saying that he was no murderer, Ed hated the man. _"I see how it is…"_ Javad pushed himself from the tree and walked over to Calida, she blinked and let out a small gasp as he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. He pulled back slightly and looked into her eyes.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"Calida, will you come with me on this mission? Will you stay by my side while we stop the homunculi from their plans? I know that you're the one Hecate wants, and I know that she's forcing Caldor to attack you…but when we stop him, and he becomes human…"

"Well, his human side is sort of innocent…but…"

"I would be afraid of turning into a murderer, I would be too tempted to kill him right there, I can't do that, I need you by my side during this time so that I don't go insane." Calida chuckled softly and closed her eyes.

"I would have already thought you were, so, you pretty much want me to follow you around until the homunculi are dead? I can do that, as long as I get to be the one protecting you." Javad chuckled and shrugged his shoulders, he could live with that one.

"Yeah, I wouldn't have it any other way, Cali." Javad released her and smiled, she was already lost in his eyes, and her heart was already beating at a strong pace. "So, want to go inside and grab a bottle of water and a snack?"

"Uh, yeah…" Javad nodded and turned to walk toward the house, Calida lowered her arms to her side and chuckled as she closed her eyes. "Heh, is that all?" Calida slowly shook her head and walked into the house, she was going to take a nap after getting a drink, after all, the sparring had her pretty exhausted. _"He promises to protect me?"_ Calida chuckled and crossed her arms. _"Yeah, my hero…"_ Calida rolled her eyes and Javad tossed a water bottle in her direction, she caught it in the air and sighed as she started to unscrew the cap.

* * *

Calida wins the match, and they seem to have a nice talk afterwards. Hope you liked the chapter, stick around for the next!


	42. The Strongest Bullet

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Thoughts in _italics_, Speech in regular. This chapter will start off with just a little prior to the fight.

Chapter 42 (The Strongest Bullet)

"Roy, there's been a sighting of someone that I think is a homunculus," Riza said as she entered Roy's office. Roy raised his eyebrow and stood up from his desk, it had been a month since Javad's return, he and Calida were with Ed while trying to find the hideout of the homunculi. They promised to return whenever they could, and they pretty much kept their promises.

"You think it's a homunculus? Where is it, and which one is it?" Riza lifted up a sheet of paper and her eyes traveled over the words, her hands tightened and she lowered the paper.

"It's Bullet, otherwise known as Archer. At least the person that called to report the sighting said that this man was firing arrows and bullets from his body. That pretty much tells me that it's him, did we ever get any remains?"

"Yeah, we did." Roy opened up a drawer in his desk and pulled a box, inside of it was a small bone belonging to Frank Archer. "The officers doing it actually asked a lot of questions, we eventually had to tell them that we were researching to find out if Archer may have been the father to some child." Riza chuckled lightly and slowly shook her head.

"Okay, and was he?" Roy raised his eyebrow and set the box on the desk, he let out a sigh and crossed his arms.

"No, no Frank Archer is not the father of Rose's son." Riza laughed at that, apparently they used Sean as the excuse, that may have raised a few eyebrows. "Actually no one knows who is, and for all we know, it could have been Scar!" Riza blinked and Roy slowly shook his head, he stared at the box and then back to Riza. "Okay, so where was the sighting?" Riza handed Roy the paper and he let out a sigh. "Our street, how appropriate for the homunculus to show up there…Okay, this shouldn't be a problem, we'll just take him down once more." Roy groaned as he remembered that he had a meeting with a representative from another country in a few minutes, he couldn't call it off. "Damn it…"

"Roy, you go on, I'll take care of him." Roy's eyes widened and he stared at Riza, she had a determined look on her face and he was sure that he wouldn't win against her. "I'll take this box, and I'll kill him, a human can do such a thing with these, it doesn't take an alchemist to kill a homunculus."

"Yeah, but Riza…you _alone_, I don't want you to do that!" Riza smiled softly and placed her hand on the side of his face, she kissed his lips tenderly and pulled back.

"I'll be fine, Roy, you just concentrate on your work and that meeting. Don't be late, I'm sure you can handle that." Roy sighed and looked at Riza, defeated, he knew no matter how hard he protested, she had her mind set to doing whatever it was.

"Okay, but I'm sending someone with you…" Riza raised her eyebrow as Roy picked up his phone, he dialed a number and spoke into it. "General Havoc, I would like for you to accompany my wife…" Riza sighed and chuckled, of course Roy would call up Havoc to do the job with her.

"Two shooters are better, I suppose." Roy nodded and hung up the phone after he finished talking to Havoc, he walked over to Riza and took her in his arms.

"Stay safe, Riza…"

"I will, just focus on your work."

-NEW SCENE-

"Fortunately Calida is not in that house right now," Riza said as she and Havoc exited the car. "So, we have everything down properly, right?"

"Yeah, but damn, I'm getting to old for this," Havoc said with a small chuckle. Riza rolled her eyes and chuckled, Havoc may complain, but he was still pretty young at heart.

"Remember, this guy's dangerous, he can kill you easily if you're not careful. That's what we have this for." Riza lifted up the box with Archer's remains, she smirked and Havoc nodded. "When he comes in contact with this, we can easily kill him. He'll lose every life that he has and can die by us shooting him."

"Okay, and from everything I've learned about homunculi, they seem to turn back into their human form?"

"Yeah, so when Archer turns back to his old self, I don't know what to do with him. We can't really shoot him, unless he goes into his maniacal form and tries to attack people at random once more." Bullet wasn't really half human, half robot, he had all of his flesh back. Yet he could still be crazy like he was in death.

"He's probably inside your house, or hiding around here, waiting for his target to show up." Riza nodded and Havoc shifted his weapon up, Riza clutched the gun in her holster and narrowed her eyes, surveying the surroundings. Riza swiftly tackled Havoc to the ground and missed being shot in the side, Havoc moaned lightly as he got up. "Damn, I'm telling you, I'm getting to old!"

"Stop complaining Havoc, you've thought you were getting old when you quit smoking." Havoc rolled his eyes and looked to a space in between the house, Riza was glaring in the direction as well, they watched as Bullet stepped out from the shadows.

"Hah, don't tell me they sent you to fight me," Bullet said while laughing. "This will be fun to see you die, I suppose I can get revenge for you killing me."

"Sorry, but I was just doing my job," Riza said while shrugging. "I was doing my job then, and I'm doing my job now." Bullet raised his eyebrow and Riza fired a gunshot into his chest, with that, Havoc began to open fire as well. While Havoc was shooting, Riza ran toward Bullet and lifted the box up.

"Not so fast, I'm not finished." Bullet hit Riza with his arm and sent her crashing into a wall, Havoc glanced over and ran to her. Riza grunted as she pulled herself up.

"I'm fine, focus on the enemy, Havoc!" Havoc nodded and turned around, he knew shooting would be a waste of ammo by now.

"You know, I don't need these bullets right now, so I must return them to you." Riza's eyes widened and Havoc quickly jumped out of the way, Riza rolled out of the way and all the ammo they fired into Bullet hit the wall.

"Damn that was too close for my own good," Havoc said while placing a hand on his chest and letting out a sigh, Bullet continued to walk toward Riza and grin evilly. Riza growled as he lifted his hand up, ready to fire off another murderous piece of ammo.

"Get ready to die, Hawkeye," Bullet said while scowling. A large bump appeared in the palm of his hand, and the tip of an arrowhead started to push from him.

"Hey bastard, come over here!" Havoc shouted. Bullet raised his eyebrow and glanced over at the man. "Yeah, that's right, you're an ugly jerk. Your mother was so fat that when she gave birth to you, she thought you were one of her skin folds!"

"Excuse me?" Bullet growled and turned toward Havoc, Riza swiftly took the bone out of the box and ran toward Bullet, he turned around slightly but not in enough time to avoid her jamming the sharp bone into his neck. She took the handle of her gun and hammered the bone in some more, Bullet groaned and his body shook slightly. "W-What the hell is this? What are you doing!"

"It's your remains," Riza said with narrow eyes. "Or should I say the remains of the man you once were." Bullet growled and fell to his knees, he was slowly starting to become immobile, he couldn't even move his hands at his own will.

"Damn you, Hawkeye, I'll kill you!" He fell to his hands and began to shake violently, he didn't have any lives left. "Damn it, I'll kill you, you filthy whore!"

"Watch your language when speaking to a woman, you don't know just how dangerous that woman can be." Riza lifted her gun and clicked it, she pointed it to Bullet's head and narrowed her eyes. He turned his head toward her and appeared to be pleading with her.

"H-Have mercy on me, would you really kill a fellow soldier? Why chalk up another victim on the list of people you've killed?" Riza narrowed her eyes and placed her thumb on the hammer of the gun.

"I've already made up for every person that I killed in Ishbal, I devoted my life to protecting Roy Mustang, now I devote my life to protecting the Fuhrer and the country of Amestris. I will destroy anything that threatens the peace of this country, and you, are one of them."

"Damn it…"

"Havoc, shoot him, now!" Havoc nodded and began to spray Bullet with gunfire, the homunculus shouted in pain and blood flew everywhere. Havoc stopped his fire and Bullet now sat in a bloody heap, still alive.

"D-Damn it, you humans will never understand the goals of Hecate, she does this for her mother…"

"She murders for no good reason, so you shoot for the sake of evil and the sake of revenge, I shoot for the sake of protecting the lives of the innocent. My bullet is stronger." Riza fired a shot into Bullet's head, the bullet exited out the other side and the homunculus fell to the ground, his body vanished into red liquid. Havoc sighed and looked over at Riza, she narrowed her eyes and stared at the pool of liquid.

"So what happens after this?" Havoc asked while stepping next to Riza and staring down at the red puddle, Riza shrugged and watched as Frank Archer's body appeared.

"He's going to have all the memories of what he did as a homunculus, he will probably feel great grief and guilt over it. As for what we should do with him, I don't know, as a human he is innocent from his current crimes."

"Yet, Archer was a criminal many years ago, right?" Riza nodded and watched as Archer slowly opened his eyes, he stood up and started mumbling something.

"I must protect the Fuhrer," Archer said while looking around. "Must protect the Fuhrer…"

"He's mumbling nonsense now." Riza nodded and pulled some handcuffs from her pocket, she walked over and cuffed Archer's hands together.

"We'll place him under military arrest for now, there isn't any point to letting him roam the streets." Havoc nodded and a jumped back as someone ran past him, the person stopped and glanced back, it was Caldor.

"Bullet looks to be human now," Caldor said with narrow eyes. "Pity, I awake and he's a human, Hecate thought he was pretty valuable, I guess he was weak." Caldor laughed lightly and drew his sword, Riza and Havoc stared with wide eyes as Caldor shoved the sword into Archer's chest, causing the man to scream out in pain. Both Riza and Havoc released Archer and stepped back, the watched as the man fell to the ground and Caldor placed his foot on the man's back. "Oh, that may have felt pretty damn good." Caldor glanced up and stared into Riza's eyes, he scoffed and sheathed his sword. "I don't have time to deal with such weaklings, it was mere luck that you beat Bullet." Caldor lifted Archer up and draped him over his shoulder, with that, he ran off.

"W-What just happened?" Havoc asked with fear evident in his voice. He was shocked and his body was shaking horribly, Riza slowly shook her head and let out a sigh.

"I'm not sure, but in any case, we have to report this to the Fuhrer." Havoc nodded and the two reentered their car, they were going to have a hell of a talk with Roy after this.

* * *

Havoc appears! Riza and Havoc have defeated bullet, and Caldor kills him. I did that because I had no idea what I was going to do about Archer's human form. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	43. Close to Death

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Thoughts in _italics_, Speech in regular. This chapter will start off with just a little prior to the fight.

* * *

Chapter 43 (Close to Death)

Five more months passed by since the fall of Bullet, and no other homunculus appeared in his place, meaning nobody knew what Caldor did to Archer's body. Ed actually did find a lead as to where the homunculi might be located, but he was only guessing. So far the group had traveled to the outer countries of Xing, Drachma, and others, but not once did they find a single clue as to where the homunculi were.

"Didn't we already search the caves of Liore?" Javad asked while walking behind Ed. Calida was walking next to him, remaining silent, waiting to destroy the demons that threatened to terrorize the world. Ed glanced back and sighed; they did search the caves of Liore, and had found the hideout before. Only every time they found the hideout, the homunculi vanished off again.

"I'm personally getting tired of all this searching," Calida said with narrow eyes. She crossed her arms and stared straight ahead as Javad looked over to her. "If the damn homunculi could stay in the same place, we could destroy them…and why haven't they attacked us yet?" Javad shrugged and rubbed his chin, the homunculi had always been targeting Calida, so it was a good question as to why they stopped coming around. He had to admit, he was thrilled that they hadn't come for her yet, but they probably didn't know where she was.

"We _have_ been all over the place, so I doubt they know where to find us," Javad responded. "They're probably looking as well." Calida nodded and rubbed the back of her neck.

"Hey, I need to take a restroom break." Javad nodded and looked over at Ed, his dad was still walking into the cave. Ed stopped and glanced back; he crossed his arms and smiled.

"You guys go on, I'm going to continue searching the caves," Ed stated. Javad nodded and started to walk with Calida, he looked at her and smiled softly.

"You look nice this morning," Javad said while placing his hands behind his head. He figured he would make small talk. Calida chuckled and glanced back at Javad.

"Thanks for the compliment," Calida said while slowly shaking her head. They opened the door and found the restroom; Javad leaned against the wall and waited as Calida went inside. He crossed his arms and let out a sigh, it was a misfortune that Calida had to use a public restroom. She hated public restrooms; she would never go to one without someone with her. Javad leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes for a second, thinking only of the future. He would be turning twenty soon, and Calida would later on. He hoped to marry her one day, perhaps he would ask her. Though, it was customary in these times that they also ask the father.

_"I wonder what Mr. Mustang would say if he knew I wanted to marry her. They know I love her, they know I would protect her with my life, so wouldn't they agree to it?"_ Javad opened his eyes and frowned, the usual age people got married in this time was twenty two, but he didn't know if Calida would want to marry. He glanced over at the front door of the place and saw Ed walk in; he raised his eyebrow and watched as his dad walked over to him.

"Is Calida out of there yet?" Ed asked while crossing his arms. Javad glanced at the door and back to Ed; he stepped in front of the door and crossed his arms.

"Nope, she's not out yet, dad. Are you really done searching in the caves of Liore?"

"Yes, the homunculi were not in there." Javad shrugged and watched as Ed turned and walked into another room of the building, he let out a sigh and spotted a woman walking out of that room. He kept his arms crossed and kept his stance in front of the door as she walked up to him.

"Excuse me sir, I need to use the restroom," the woman said while smiling.

"Sorry, my friend is using it right now; no one else can go in." It wasn't that they couldn't go in; Javad just never let anybody in the restroom when Calida was inside.

"Sir, you must understand, I really have to use the restroom." Javad rubbed his chin and glanced at the woman's hip; he narrowed his eyes and ran his eyes over a sheath on her hip.

"Any reason you have a sword with you?" The woman looked at her blade and smiled, she nodded and drew it.

"It is a family heirloom." She held the blade up and let the sunlight reflect off of it, Javad kept his eyes narrowed and transmuted a trident from the ground. "Sir, what are you doing?"

"Okay Caldor, I know it's you now." The woman smirked and an electric light went down her body, revealing Caldor. He smirked and swiftly positioned his sword at Javad's throat.

"Good job, I wonder, did you figure it out before or after you spotted my sword?" Caldor asked while narrowing his eyes.

"My father came in and then immediately asked if Calida was still in the bathroom. He isn't that impatient of a person, and certainly if he was, he would have stood here and waited for Calida as well. Then you went into that room and walked out as the woman, it wasn't very smart."

"You have a good eye, Javad."

"I have to stay alert, I'm not about to let anyone dangerous near Calida, especially not while she's still in the restroom." Javad narrowed his eyes and twisted his trident; he hit the sword away and then thrust the trident into Caldor's neck. The upper spike went through his chin and out the back of his head while the bottom spike was just inches lower than the start of the throat. "Nor will I let you near her, at least not without a fight."

"You want a fight?" Caldor gripped the bar of Javad's trident and pulled the spikes out of him, the holes closed up and he merely smirked at Javad. "Then a fight you can get, I hope you're ready to take literally the dying part of protecting her with your life." Javad clenched his teeth and slashed his trident through the side of Caldor's head.

"You better back your ass up." Caldor laughed lightly and brought his blade toward Javad. Javad quickly transmuted his blade and blocked the sword. "Damn…Hey Caldor, where the hell have you homunculi been hiding anyway?"

"Why the hell should I know?" Caldor smirked and Javad narrowed his eyes. Javad clasped his hands together and sent a gust of wind into Caldor, blowing him back a few feet. He then sent spikes from the ground toward Caldor. The homunculus quickly leapt over the spikes and avoided them. "Tell you what, you beat me, and maybe I'll tell you."

"I'm not in the mood for games, I hope you know that." Javad charged toward Caldor and transmuted his guns. "Prepare to die, bastard." Caldor laughed as Javad lifted his guns and began to shoot at him, he did a spin as the bullets flew by him. "Damn you, Caldor!" Javad fired off another shot, but Caldor flipped over the bullets and brought his feet to Javad's chest. Javad shouted as he fell to the ground, Caldor placed his foot on Javad's chest and swung his blade to Javad's throat.

"Well, look at that, it seems to me you're in a tough position here." Caldor pressed the tip of the sword against Javad's neck and smirked. "Well I guess you won't be protecting her anymore, but that girl can handle herself without you anyway."

"Hey bastard, get off him if you value your life," A voice growled out. Caldor looked over at saw Calida glaring at him, her eyes were narrowed and her hand was lifted up. Caldor smirked and tilted his head slightly.

"So, you think you have what it takes to hit me? How could you possibly hit me with anything, you wouldn't want to kill one of your own friends."

"I don't care who the hell you are, you could be my own father, but if you don't get off that man right now, you're going to be ash." Caldor chuckled and stared down at Javad, he raised his eyebrow as Javad lifted his arm and pointed a gun toward him. He swiftly tilted his body back and avoided a gunshot. He heard the snapping of fingers and twisted his body to the side to avoid a blast of fire shooting toward him. Caldor frowned and stepped to the ground, he lifted his foot and swiftly kicked Javad in the side of the head, knocking him out. Calida's eyes grew large as Caldor turned to her.

"Okay, now to deal with you." Caldor held his sword to the side and started to walk toward Calida, she kept her fingers together and started to back up. "Why are you backing up? You know I could just grab a hold of you right now if I wanted to, so don't even think backing up is going to help you." Calida narrowed her eyes and growled slightly, she let out a small gasp as she pressed her back to the wall. "No where else to back up?"

"Shut the hell up." Calida snapped her fingers and Caldor smirked as he slashed his blade through the air, putting away the fire as his father did when fighting Roy so long ago. Calida growled and glanced to the door of the restroom; Caldor chuckled lightly and slowly shook his head.

"I suppose you could go into the restroom, but I would probably just transform into a female and walk in, you'd never know who I would be." Caldor stepped closer to Calida and she clenched her teeth, she pressed her palms to the wall and tried to think of a way to get around him.

"Screw you, Caldor!"

"No, I'm sorry, that's what I'm going to be doing to you in a minute." Calida's eyes widened and she gasped as the gap between the two closed, she wouldn't be able to run.

"Just leave me alone!" Calida glanced past Caldor and stared at Javad. _"Please get up, get up!"_ She growled and started to run to the side, Caldor stuck his arm out and caught her. "No!"

"You see, I just need to get your mentality down to where you will comply with everything that Lady Hecate wishes. I know your will is too strong and you will try to fight, so this is what Hecate wants me to do. It is not as if I choose to do this, it would be easier for you to not have a strong will. I can't have a conscious, I can't have a heart, and I surely can't have any memories."

"What?" Caldor rolled his eyes and gripped Calida's throat with one hand, he pressed her against the wall and gripped the handle of his sword. "Damn you, Caldor…Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Did I not just get through explaining to you? Hecate needs you to create as many homunculi as possible. In fact…" Caldor sheathed his blade and reached into a pocket, he pulled out a vial with some green substance. "This is a potion that she created, it allows an alchemist to not have to give away much of anything at all, meaning a very strong alchemist with this can go on for practically forever!"

"I won't help you!" Caldor frowned and stared at Calida, he knew she wouldn't. Caldor sighed and turned his head to Javad's body.

"We should test this today, I will kill Javad and you can turn him into a homunculus."

"Never, I will never create a homunculus for you, bastard!" Calida lifted her leg and kneed Caldor in the abdomen. He shifted his eyes toward her and tightened his hand around her throat, she gasped and her arms fell to the side. He loosened his grip slowly and Calida stared at him, tears were running down her cheeks. "What? You're not going to kill me?"

"I was ordered not to kill you, and I would do it if I felt like it." Caldor growled and lifted his blade; he pointed the tip toward Calida's chest and started to move it toward her. "On second thought, I think I will go ahead and kill you right now."

"Please, Caldor, don't do this! You don't have to do this, you know…" Caldor raised his eyebrow and laughed.

"What the hell are you talking about? Of course I do, I'm evil! I hate you more than anything, my human form may have loved you, but I despise you with everything that I have! I hate you, Calida. It's your fault that I'm dead to begin with…okay, that was more Bullet's fault than yours, but still I probably would be still alive if it wasn't for you."

"What could I do? I couldn't do anything, Caldor! You've already got your revenge for that anyway if it was my fault. Isn't once enough for you?" Caldor closed his eyes and growled.

"I'm growing more and more annoyed by hearing your voice, shut the hell up!" Caldor started to rush the blade toward Calida's chest, she closed her eyes and he froze. _"What? What the hell!"_ Caldor shook slightly and growled; he brought his blade down and sheathed it. _"Damn it."_ Caldor released Calida and let her sink to the ground, he glared down at her and kept his hand on the handle of his sword. "I'm going to kill you, don't think I won't do it." Caldor gasped as a spear ran through him, he glanced back and saw Ed standing behind him.

"I think you're going to be the one dying, bastard," Ed said in a flat tone. Caldor clenched his teeth and glanced over to see Javad pushing himself up.

"Damn it, where did that bastard go?" Javad asked while rubbing his head. Calida's eyes widened slightly and she swiftly pushed herself up and ran past Caldor, Javad turned around and nearly shouted as she grabbed onto him. "Calida…" Caldor rolled his eyes and pushed himself off of Ed's spear, he chuckled and waved his hand through the air.

"Well, I'll see you bozos later, but if you're wondering where the hideout is…it's somewhere in Central. That is, if my memory is correct." Ed narrowed his eyes and watched as Caldor transformed once more, his eyes widened as Caldor turned to reveal the form of Envy. "Do you remember this form? I bet you do, Fullmetal Pipsqueak." Caldor kicked Ed to the ground and swiftly fled the building.

"Damn it, what was that?" Ed asked himself as he slowly stood up. He glanced over at Javad and Calida as Javad wrapped his arms around Calida and held her close.

"You're safe," Javad said in a quiet voice. Calida lifted her hand to her neck and rubbed her throat.

"I thought he was actually going to kill me," Calida stated. Javad raised his eyebrow and Calida let out a sigh. "That's the first time I really felt afraid that I was going to die…"

"You're alive now, and I'm going to protect you and keep you safe. He will not kill you, not while I'm still alive that is." Calida growled and clenched her fists slowly.

"Why can't I ever fight that bastard? Why can't I ever kill him?" Javad continued to hold her close; he rubbed her back and gently kissed her forehead.

"Don't worry; just let me deal with him. You can take down everyone else, but let me take care of Caldor." Calida sighed and slowly nodded her head, she had no other choice. She couldn't shake off the feeling of pure fear every time Caldor was around her. As long as she had that feeling, and as long as she had the memory of what he did to her, she would never be able to kill Caldor on her own.

"Heh, do you think you're able to kill the person that was once your best friend?"

"That isn't the same person that Caldor was, it is a homunculus living inside of the body that once belonged to Caldor. Caldor himself is probably just trapped inside, waiting for death…"

"What'll happen when he's human again?" Ed asked while glancing over at the door. "Will you kill him then?" Javad blinked and stared at Ed for a moment; he then clenched his teeth and looked down. He had no clue what he would do when Caldor reverted back to his human form, he didn't know if it would count as murder if he simply killed him. "Just remember, a human life is a human life. Caldor as a human may be perfectly innocent of the criminal acts that his homunculus soul had done. What would killing him achieve for you? It is something to think about." Ed crossed his arms and frowned. "Come on, let's get moving. We need to make it to Central and report to the Fuhrer."

"Right…" Javad and Calida parted and followed Ed out the door, each person had Ed's words running through their minds. What would they do when Caldor was human again? Javad narrowed his eyes and remembered Leo pleading for Ed to take his life, but he never did._ "Is that what Dad's trying to say? Is he telling me not to take Caldor's life?"_ Javad glanced at Calida and frowned. _"It _was_ Caldor's homunculus that hurt her and sent this fear through her, so does that mean Caldor himself is innocent?"_ Ed stopped walking and glanced back at Javad, he chuckled and smirked.

"Just follow your own path, that's pretty much what I did back in the day. I'm sure you'll figure it all out as time goes on, I did, and look how I turned out." Ed glanced to the side and blinked; he sighed and narrowed his eyes. "Actually, that's not a good example." Calida chuckled and Javad narrowed his eyes and stared at Ed, he knew he would never want to be like his father.

* * *

There's the end of this chapter. It seems stuff is boiling up. Something big is going to happen with Caldor soon, so stick around.


	44. Three Sides of One

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Thoughts in _italics_, Speech in regular. This chapter will start off with just a little prior to the fight.

* * *

Chapter 44 (Three Sides of One)

"Damn it, Blaze had to be watching," Caldor said as he and Pride walked down the streets. Caldor placed his hands behind his head and scowled, a part of him just couldn't stand Pride, but then another part seemed to want to hang around the old homunculus. "Why is it I hate Blaze so damn much?" Pride chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. "I think I hated Bullet as well."

"Hmm, yes you did. What did you do to Archer anyway?" Caldor glanced at Pride through the corner of his eyes, he chuckled and stared ahead. "Trashed him…" Pride raised his eyebrow and Caldor glanced to the side and smirked. "I found a nice little wood chipping machine and tossed his body into that thing." Pride blinked and slowly shook his head; there wasn't anything he could say about that. "By the way, I told the others what city the hideout was in. It got a little hectic; I think I died a couple times. It doesn't feel good to have a trident go through your face."

"Would you have raped her again, or killed her?" Caldor raised his eyebrow and stopped walking; he glanced at Pride and scowled. He felt his stomach starting to churn and every inch of his body was beginning to flare up. Pride raised his eyebrow and saw Caldor's hair starting to turn green and spiky. "Son…" Pride placed his hand on Caldor's shoulder and smiled calmly, Caldor closed his eyes and felt the churning cease. His body stopped flaring up and his hair went back to normal. "I think you were starting to lose it…"

"Yeah, whatever…" Caldor crossed his arms and continued walking, his face grew stern and he stared straight ahead. He then closed his eyes and let out a sigh as Pride walked next to him. "Blaze was hiding in the building; I had to make it look pretty bad. You know that I'm evil; of course I would have killed her, given the chance. I would kill both Calida _and_ Javad if given the chance!" Pride nodded and crossed his arms, Caldor then sighed and shifted his eyes toward the ground. "However, I'm not sure if my human side would let me rape her again. The memories I have of being their friend, they just keep flaring up when I get close to her, or Javad."

"This happened with Megan as well, right?" Caldor nodded and shoved his hands into his pockets. Pride rubbed his chin and glanced over at one of the caves. "Come on, it's probably in here." Caldor nodded once more and followed Pride into the cavern. "You know, your human soul is a very strong one. Of course, having Javad as your worst enemy doesn't help it much." Caldor groaned and side punched the wall of the cave.

"You think I actually care? Let's just find this thing; I thought Elric destroyed it, though."

"No, he realized this, but you can't destroy the philosopher's stone. He hid it away somewhere and destroyed all _knowledge_ of the stone." Caldor raised his eyebrow and leaned against the wall while crossing his arms. They had been searching in secret for the stone for quite some time, and they had been pondering what the proper use of it would be. "If this is where it is, then that would be great. I'm assuming it would be hidden deep inside."

"Why do we care?" Pride looked at Caldor and frowned, he knew that if he found the philosopher's stone, he could make Caldor human again. He turned and continued walking down the cavern; Caldor walked behind him and frowned. Pride stopped walking and Caldor stopped behind him. "What's going on? Why did we stop?" Pride turned around and glanced at Caldor's hair, it was brown, just as it had been when he was human. "Well? What are you staring at? Stop staring, we have to find this stupid stone and figure out what we're going to do with it."

"Caldor, isn't your hair supposed to be black, not brown? All homunculi have black hair, except for the former Envy, his hair was green." Caldor raised his eyebrow and shrugged, he had been having some problems keeping a balance, but it mattered not. "Caldor, are you not able to control which form is in control."

"I can keep it perfectly balanced at any moment." Caldor closed his eyes and his hair darkened to its normal homunculus color, his eyes returned to purple as well. "There, is that better, _father_?" Pride chuckled and turned patted Caldor on the shoulder, when he did, Caldor's hair went back to brown and his eyes returned to the color brown.

_"Right, so that's another affect I have on him…as his father."_ Pride rubbed his chin and stared at Caldor, he smirked and Caldor raised his eyebrow. "Caldor, your hair is back, I think right now your human form is dominant. Do you think you can do alchemy?" Caldor shifted and moaned slightly. He brushed Pride aside and continued walking down the path; Pride raised his eyebrow and followed closely. "True, homunculi can't perform alchemy; however, there was one before that could. That was Wrath, and he performed it because he had a _human_ arm. Well, you still have a pure, human soul and right now you're human."

"So you think I can perform alchemy…I can't perform alchemy, and believe me, I've tried." Pride shook his head, Caldor wouldn't be able to perform any alchemy if he was in his homunculus form, but he appeared human right now. "I recommend you forget about that and let's get started on simply finding this damned stone. I don't even think it will be here, but if it is, then that's perfect! All we have to do is hide it from Hecate."

"I would think she and the other homunculus are getting suspicious of us being gone. After all, we're hardly ever in that hideout." Caldor scoffed and placed his hand on the side of a rock; he pushed the rock aside and smirked as it revealed a tunnel.

"I think I could stand staying away from Hecate and Blaze, it's not like I need to be near those two at all. Though, they probably want me to catch Calida…" Caldor glanced down slightly and shrugged as he and Pride walked down the tunnel. They stopped walking when they came to a dead end; Caldor narrowed his eyes and frowned. "What now…"

"Damn, I would have thought it'd be here. I don't know why, but I just assumed it. We've been searching for this thing for months!" Pride slammed his fist into a wall and Caldor shouted as the cave began rumbling. "Uh…"

"Damn it! Are you _trying_ to cause a cave in!"

"Well it wouldn't matter, we'd be able to get out of here anyway."

"Either way, I have probably fifteen lives left, and I'd rather not be crushed under a bunch of rocks!" Pride chuckled and Caldor let out a sigh as he sank to the ground. "This is becoming too much, we should go and kill Elric…" Pride rolled his eyes and stared at Caldor.

"Violence isn't always a necessary answer." Caldor smiled and looked at Pride, he shrugged and rested his arms on top of his knees.

"What can I say? It was my homunculus." Pride raised his eyebrow and saw Caldor's hair turning green. His eyes widened as Caldor started to change, his hair grew and his body became skinnier. "The hell!"

"Envy…" Envy stood up and smirked as he stared at Pride, he tilted his head to the side and grinned.

"Well hello there, Pride!" Envy leapt toward Pride and slammed him against the wall. "I think it's time for you to die, you've been alive for far too long! Guess what, I'm the homunculus soul and this human has no control as of right now!" Envy thrust his fist toward Pride, Pride moved his head to the side and let Envy hit the wall. He grabbed Envy's neck and threw him across the room, slamming him into a wall.

"Watch it there, Envy." Pride dashed toward Envy and grabbed his leg, he sent Envy sailing over his head and then into the ground. He spun Envy around and sent him crashing into the wall. "I think it's time for you to go back inside." Envy pushed himself up and dusted his arm, he then tilted his head back and began to laugh maniacally.

"Me, go back inside this body? Yeah right, with me out here, Caldor can do anything without any limitations! Even rape Calida like he's supposed to be doing, and kill Javad like he should have done by now! To think he's my flesh and blood." Pride narrowed his eyes and slammed his fist into Envy's stomach and crashed him into the wall.

"Caldor is _my_ son, not yours!"

"Yes, but are you evil? No, and Caldor seems to be struggling with evil as well. Hell, he even wants to turn you into a damn human when he finds the philosopher's stone!" Pride's eyes widened considerably and Envy smirked at him. "Of course, you're a homunculi and you won't revert to human form again if you die. The only way you would do that is if an alchemist were to find the philosopher's stone and bring you back to such a form."

"I want my son to be human again, he doesn't need to turn me into one!"

"All he has to do for that is go fight Javad and die, simple as that." Pride growled and gripped the sword on Envy's hip, he pulled it out and thrust it toward his opponent. Envy yelped and dodged the attack, the blade crashed into the wall and created a large hold. "Oh nice one, are you really trying to kill off your son?"

"He knows full well that if he loses control to you…" Pride stood firm and held the blade in front of him. "Then he gives me permission to kill him."

"Oh, well he hasn't lost full control just yet. That's because you actually have a bit of an effect on your son, isn't that amazing?" Envy's arm turned into a spike and he thrust it toward Pride's chest, the tip stopped just short of Pride's chest and Envy froze. "What the hell? Crap! Damn it, not now, no! No!"

"What's happening this time?" Pride raised his eyebrow and Envy leapt back from him. He growled and tilted his head back, letting out a loud scream as he fell to his knees. He fell forward and transformed back into Caldor.

"What just happened to me?" Caldor asked while looking at Pride. "Why are you holding my sword?" Pride started to pant and shrug off what just happened.

"Your homunculus soul took control for the moment, don't worry about it. I think it'll be a while before he comes out again."

"Why do I have to have two homunculi souls in me?" Pride shrugged and looked up at the ceiling, a very large stalactite was starting to fall from the ceiling.

"Caldor, move out of the way, I don't know how many lives you have left and I don't think you want that thing falling on you." Caldor looked up and saw the stalactite break from the ceiling, he quickly leapt out of the way and pressed his back against a wall as it slammed into t he floor.

"Holy crap, that was a bit closer than I would have wanted." Caldor looked up at the ceiling and narrowed his eyes, there was a red glow coming from the hole. "Hey dad, what's up there?" Pride looked up and grinned, it was the philosopher's stone.

"Hidden in the deepest room of the cave and in a ceiling right above a stalactite, not a bad hiding spot…" Caldor nodded and rubbed the back of his head, his hair was brown, so that meant his human side was more dominant at the moment. He clasped his hands together and created a hollow pillar of light from the ceiling to the ground, the pillar crashed into the ceiling and a loud thump was heard. The pillar vanished and the stone was lying in perfect condition in the center of the room.

"Well, this day seems to be going from worse to better." Caldor smirked and crossed his arms.

* * *

Seems pretty intense, Caldor's got some stuff going on. He wants to make his father human, does he? Let's see what happens next, stick around.


	45. Personal Hell

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Thoughts in _italics_, Speech in regular. This chapter will start off with just a little prior to the fight.

* * *

Chapter 45 (Personal Hell)

"So what will you do with it?" Pride asked while crossing his arms. "You're the one with alchemy, for now." Caldor stared at the stone and smiled, it was truly beautiful. He could do anything, he could wish for whatever his heart desired, but there was nothing that he would ever want or need. He could wish to be human again, but what would be the point, Javad would merely kill him. Not only that, but he would feel extra guilty about raping Calida.

_"Not that I don't already feel guilty enough about that,"_ Caldor thought while narrowing his eyes. Caldor frowned and thought about what things would be like if he never died in the first place. _"I saved Javad, in a way. I brought him back home for Calida, so she would be happy."_ Caldor smiled at that memory, he needed to make his decision before his homunculus form started to take over, and definitely before Envy came back. "Okay Dad, I've already made my decision."

"Go on Caldor, transform yourself to human!" Caldor frowned and looked at his father, Pride raised his eyebrow and Caldor let out a sigh. Pride then knew what was on his son's mind; he sighed and shifted his eyes to the side. "Caldor, I'm old, you're young. You have more chance to live if you're a human, I don't. Think about it, you deserve to be a human." Caldor's body shook slightly as he held the stone, he closed his eyes and felt a tear flee his eye.

"Shut up, Dad!" Pride looked a bit taken aback by Caldor's outburst. "Damn it, how the hell can you say I deserve to be human? I'm not human! I haven't been a human since I raped my best friend! My soul basically fried!" Pride frowned and stepped next to Caldor, he placed his hand on Caldor's shoulder and felt his son shaking. "I'm not a human, I'm a rapist, a goddamn rapist, I don't deserve to be human…" Caldor fell to his knees and sobbed, weeping for his best friend. Caldor quickly wiped away his tears with his arm, he hated tears. "I can't be a human again, Dad. I don't know how to handle it anymore."

"Caldor, you should follow whatever your heart says, this is true. Yet, you're wrong when you say that you don't deserve to be human." Pride had to choose his words carefully, he didn't want his son going back into homunculus form just yet. "Just remember, it wasn't _you_ that raped Calida, it was your homunculus." Caldor frowned and looked up at his father, whenever he was human, he thought he felt some sort of respect or connection with him. "Plus, we know you can deal with Hecate, I can't. I'll die anyway, Caldor."

"Dad, maybe you don't quite understand me. I'm a goddamn rapist, there's no way in hell that I'm worth anything. Plus, the second I become human, I'll most likely have an emotional breakdown. The only reason I'm not right now is because part of me doesn't feel any guilt over it."

"Yeah, that part is your homunculus. You don't want anything to do with that homunculus, do you?" Caldor thought for a moment and stared at the philosopher's stone, Pride was right, he hated that homunculus. The only question was, when that homunculus was killed, wouldn't it turn human as well.

"Okay Pop, let me ask this much. If I were to separate from that homunculus, and you still haven't given me a good enough reason to do so, then what happens when that homunculus dies? I'm sure Javad would kill him eventually. Won't it turn human? If it does turn human, what would happen to me?" Pride thought for a moment, trying to think of a good answer for his son. The homunculus could always turn human, but when the human soul was not in the body, how would it be affected. "Also, I wouldn't be able to keep the homunculus locked." Caldor's eyes widened and he stared at his father. "What if he rapes Calida again!"

"No, that won't happen. I have a feeling that Javad will keep Calida plenty safe. He's been doing well on that for a few years already. She's safe, there isn't anything that's going to happen to her." Caldor groaned slightly, he really wanted to just make his father human. He didn't think he deserved human life, and he knew he'd never get over the fact that he caused Calida such harm. "I will be right with you anyway, Caldor. I'll be your 'therapist' so to speak, you _are_ my son."

"You're actually good, you should hate me for what I've done." Pride let out a sigh and slowly shook his head.

"A father can never hate his own son, remember that." Caldor stared at his father for a second and then started to laugh.

"Well he should, that's for sure!" Pride rolled his eyes and crossed his arms as Caldor stood up and held the stone out in his arms. "Dad, take hold of this." Pride frowned and opened his mouth slightly.

"Caldor…"

"Take hold of this, and be sure not to go anywhere when this is over." Pride let out a defeated sigh and took hold of the stone, Caldor smiled softly and the two men closed their eyes. A bright flash lit the room as Caldor performed his alchemy on the stone, making his solemn wish. He let out a loud shout and Pride moaned. They could feel their bodies shifting, almost as if their bodies were being ripped apart. Soon the light was gone, the stone had vanished and three men stood in the room. Pride opened his eyes and coughed, it was at that moment that he realized he was human.

"So you chose to make me human, despite my efforts…"

"Your name is King, Dad." The newly named King smiled and looked over at Caldor, his eyes widened when he saw Caldor. He was completely human. Standing next to him was an almost mirrored copy of him, only with short and spiky green hair. Caldor turned to his homunculus and narrowed his eyes. "Your new name is Cal, you are not to speak of what happened here. The only thing you are to say if you're asked is that you decided to give your other homunculus partial control."

"Oh, that's fine," Cal said with an eerie smirk. "So, you mind telling me why you haven't broken down yet?" Caldor kept his mouth flat, that was going to come soon. He'd probably be depressed for a very long time, and that's why he wanted his father to be with him. King could actually help him, but it would probably not do very much for him. "Oh my, your body is shaking, so I guess that means you're on the verge of breaking down. Hey guess what! You raped your best friend and your other best friend hates your guts!"

"Shut up…" Caldor clenched his fists and closed his eyes, trying not to let it affect him. Cal laughed at him again and grinned evilly.

"It's all your fault, you're the one that did it! You are responsible for the pain that Calida and Javad are going through right now!" Caldor growled and his body began shaking even more. "Oh yeah, I'm going to go out there, and I'm going to do what you couldn't. I'm going to rape her again, just for Hecate! Then I'm going to get her again, and again, until she is so far gone that Hecate can use her!"

"Damn you, shut the hell up!" Caldor quickly threw a punch toward Cal. Cal swiftly turned into Calida and Caldor locked up. "No…no…don't do that to me, bastard! Don't do that!" Cal put his hands to his face and fell to his knees, sobbing hysterically.

"Why Caldor, why did you do it? Why did you hurt me? I trusted you! You were my friend!" Caldor's lip quivered slightly as he watched Cal in Calida's form, bawling his eyes out. It was a painful sight, and something that he probably would never get out of his head. "Why? Why! Why!"

"No, wait, it wasn't me! Please, I didn't mean…there is no excuse…"

"There is no excuse, Caldor!" The voice was different this time. Caldor's eyes widened and he saw Cal take Javad's form. Cal grabbed Caldor and glared into his eyes, with Javad's fierce, angry, and murderous glare. "You will pay for this, mark my words, you will pay! I'll kill you, Caldor! I'll split you apart in so many ways that it's not even funny!" Caldor froze up and King glared at Cal.

Cal released Caldor and smirked, he went back to his normal form and grinned darkly. He stared at Caldor, thinking of anything that he could say. Yet seeing the look on Caldor's face was more than enough. Cal laughed and turned around to leave the cave. His laugh could be heard no matter how far he was. It was the laugh that used to belong to Caldor, it was his own laugh and it pierced his very soul. King looked over at Caldor and frowned. Caldor was still staring into space with wide eyes, those eyes held many emotions. "D-Dad…" King turned fully to Caldor and watched as his son fell to his knees.

"Caldor, just hold on for a moment," King said in a quiet voice. Caldor's head flooded with memories of his friends and all the fun he used to have with them. His memories then turned for the more sinister as the scenes of the rape flashed in his mind. He leaned forward and began punching the ground.

"Damn it! What have I become! I can't believe this, why the hell did this happen! Why couldn't I stop? Why didn't someone stop me? Why the crap did I have to go through this!" Caldor grabbed his head and screamed into the air. His hands shook as he lowered them and stared at his father. "Why Dad, _why_? Can you at least answer that? Why the hell did I hurt my best friends like this? What kind of monster have I become! What kind of evil…why did this have to happen? Why did I rape her? Why did I break her trust like that? Tell me why, tell me why!"

"Son…" King knelt beside his son and pulled him into a hug, giving him comfort. Caldor sobbed and continued to cuss himself out for doing something so vile. King knew he would have to take care of Caldor, it seemed like the man was on the verge of being suicidal. "It's okay. Remember, it's not you that did it. You didn't touch Calida, it wasn't you at all. It was a homunculus that had your face."

"She'll never trust me again, Dad. Neither will Javad. He hates me and she's terrified of me."

"I know, Son, I know. Just remember this, it's always best to remember that you are not at fault. It was that homunculus that chose to do it, it was Hecate that ordered it."

"I hate her, Dad. I hate her!" Caldor growled and clenched his fists, he wanted to kill Hecate with every ounce of strength that he had. "I want to tear her head off! I want to slaughter her, she needs to die!"

"She will, and that time will come. Firstly, you and I need to do some things that will get us accustomed to being humans again. Then, you should practice some of your alchemy."

"I can't do that, I don't feel like doing anything…" Caldor's face was still wet, and it wouldn't be drying anytime soon. "I don't deserve to live, I don't deserve it!"

"Hush! No son of mine will talk like that!" Caldor looked at his father with wide eyes. King gave Caldor a hug and looked into his eyes. "Listen, you're a very important person, to me at least. You're my son, and I know that I won't make it far without you here. I'm counting on you, Caldor…"

"W-What are you counting on me for, anyway?" King smiled at Caldor and patted his shoulder. "Why should you count on me?"

"I'm getting old, Caldor. I need someone to take care of me in my old age. Who am I supposed to rely on, Hecate?" Caldor growled and King merely nodded his head. "Right, it's best not to mention her name. I think we should go together and train, then we will right this incredible wrong."

"I told you, I can't fight anymore." Caldor looked toward the ground and sighed. King placed his hands on Caldor's shoulders and looked into his son's eyes.

"Look at me, Caldor."

"What?" Caldor shifted his eyes upward and King held his stern gaze.

"You aren't expected to fight right now, and I will not force you to do that. Right now, we need to help sort out your emotions. When you're ready to get ready to take on Hecate, then we'll discuss training ourselves, and then we'll destroy her. Does that sound okay?" His voice was soft and calm, soothing Caldor's pain. "If I have to, I'll personally tell the Mustangs and the Elrics to wait until we kill Hecate. After all, it's something that _you_ need to do in order to reconcile the wrongs that have been committed by that damned homunculus. Remember, I'm going to be right here with you, my son."

"There's nothing left for me in this world, Dad. What will happen when we kill Hecate?" King smiled and helped his son to his feet.

"That will come when it comes. We never know what there is in the future, but I guarantee you, something big awaits us." Caldor closed his eyes and chuckled lightly, he knew he'd have some trouble being depressed with a father that never let him be.

"You could just be like other fathers, you know. Maybe you could just ignore me, and let me rot in my own personal Hell." King smirked and tilted his head to the side.

"Nope, I don't think so."

* * *

Yes, I'm putting two posts in one day, I just figured that would be a fine idea. So, they're human now, I wonder what will happen. Cal doesn't have a human side anymore...stick around


	46. The Date

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Thoughts in _italics_, Speech in regular. This chapter will start off with just a little prior to the fight.

* * *

Chapter 46 (The Date)

It was a bright afternoon in the middle of April. Javad sat in the home of the Elrics, he didn't intend to move away from his parents for another couple of years. He would wait until Hecate was beaten, at least. He stood up and moved to his bedroom, he smiled and plopped onto the bed. _"This always has been a comfortable bed_," Javad thought while gazing up at the ceiling above him. He moved his hands behind his head and smiled softly.

Javad wondered where Caldor and the other homunculi were, the group was still searching but returned to their homes every now and then. Javad turned twenty in February, and Calida would be twenty in June. He closed his eyes and smiled, thinking of Calida, and wondering how she was doing. He had just seen her a day or two ago when they returned from their journey for the time being. Calida was at her home, probably having fun with her parents. Javad let out a small sigh and felt the bed shake, causing him to open his eyes and take defensive stance, calming when he saw Megan gazing at him.

"Megan, have I ever told you not to sneak up on me like that?" Javad asked while giving her a soft smile. He could see that the girl was frightened, still trying to get used to the fact that her brother always came close to death. "You know I was going to come home, right? I wouldn't miss you turning fourteen for the world!" Megan smiled softly at her brother and cuddled close to him, wrapping her arms around him, hoping to never let him go.

"I missed you, Brother," Megan said while rubbing her face to Javad's chest. "I turn fourteen tomorrow, how will it be like?" Javad smiled and patted Megan, she was still the same sweet girl she had always been.

"It's wonderful, turning fourteen. I remember when I turned fourteen and Calida gave me this really great gift. It was a very rare rock, I still have it!" Megan smiled at the mention of Calida, she loved to hear about her. Of course, she did always question why her brother never asked Calida out, despite how he felt toward her.

"You know what I want for my fourteenth birthday?"

"What?" Megan thought for a moment and grinned as she sat up on the bed. Javad saw this grin and immediately wondered what his sister had planned for him. _"I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess it has something to do with Calida."_ Javad sat up on the bed and Megan folded her arms over her chest, getting ready to use her "cute" face. No matter how old she got, that face would always work on Javad.

"I want you to ask Calida on a date, and that's all."

"Uh-huh." Calida looked at Javad and started to use her famous cute face, where she pouted her lip and slowly closed and opened her eyes. Javad frowned and glanced to the side, letting out a small chuckle. "Megan, you know that with Calida…"

"_Please_, it would make her happy, I know it would! Plus, Mom and Dad explained to me about rape last year, so I know what happened to Big Sis almost four years ago. Don't you think that it's been long enough? Maybe she's ready for a relationship for all you know." Javad looked at Megan and smiled, he knew she was right, he didn't really want to wait any longer.

"Okay, I'll do that." Javad rubbed his chin and stared at Megan. "Now, are you _sure_ you don't want anything more?"

"Yes. All I want is to see both you and Calida happy. I can see it in her eyes whenever she's with you, so I think you need to take her on a date."

"Yeah, I gotcha, I'll do that." Megan gave Javad a hug and then stood up from the bed, wondering what she should do next. "Hey Megan, maybe you should go talk Mom and Dad into letting you open one gift before the party!"

"Nah, I think I'll stick with the more traditional ways of birthdays, but thanks for the idea, brother!" Javad smiled and watched as Megan left the room, he was always thankful for his sister and her big heart. She had told him what happened years ago with Caldor in the cave, he was surprised that Caldor hadn't killed her, but grateful at the same time. He continued to grow angrier with Caldor, but at the same time, he realized he couldn't hate the guy.

_"After all, it wasn't really him. I wonder what will happen when the time comes that I meet him again, what if he begs for death, how will I respond?"_

Javad shrugged and sat on the edge of his bed, he looked at the phone on the nightstand and smiled, he wanted to call Calida up and talk to her. He slowly reached for the phone and carefully picked up the receiver. _"I wonder what she's doing right now."_ He dialed the Mustang's number and waited for a response.

"Hello?" It was Roy, he always seemed to be the one answering the phones.

"Fuhrer Mustang, this is Javad."

"Oh, it's Fullmetal's son, another Elric." Javad chuckled lightly and soon cleared his throat. "So, Javad, I assume you want to talk to my daughter. Perhaps you want to ask her out?" Javad felt his cheeks start to grow hot at that, he chuckled nervously and Roy let out a subtle smirk. "Uh-huh, that's what I thought. Calida, it's for you! It's Javad!" Javad heard something clatter in the background, and Calida's voice quickly arrived on the phone. Her voice was soft and calm, however. Javad could swear he heard Roy in the background, muttering something about how Calida literally 'dropped everything' to talk to Javad.

"Javad, what's going on? How are you? Is there something wrong?" Calida asked.

"No, of course not," Javad responded while smiling. "How are you right now?"

"I'm doing well, we're getting ready for Megan turning fourteen. Can you believe she's fourteen already?"

"Yeah, she's definitely growing up fast, but she's still the same sweet sister of mine that I know and love."

"Yeah…" There was a moment of silence between the two, both probably were thinking about what they could say. Javad took this moment to give a deep breath and ask Calida on a date.

"Calida, I was wondering, do you have any plans for tomorrow?" Javad blinked and slapped his forehead, tomorrow was Megan's birthday, of course she had plans. "Scratch that, are you dating anyone?" Javad groaned at the second slip up and cleared his throat. He heard Calida let out a small giggle, something that he didn't remember her ever doing much of.

"Third time's the charm, Javad." He narrowed his eyes at that, he could hear the smirk in her tone.

"Would you consider going on a date to the restaurant on Maple Street, the one called The Moon Star?"

"Hmm, that's a fancy place to eat…" Calida thought for a moment and Javad was growing more nervous with the minute. Calida knew he was growing nervous, this shocked both of them, since Javad never was nervous before. Of course, where Calida was concerned, he didn't ever seem that nervous either. "Yes, Javad. I will go on a date with you. Dad seems to trust you well enough not to do any 'funny stuff' and so do I…" Calida paused for a moment and sighed. "Actually, Dad's words were 'No Funny Stuff.'"

"Don't worry, there won't be any funny stuff happening."

"Oh, you mean to tell me that you're going to take me on a _boring_ date?"

"No! That's not what I mean! I mean…well, I…er-"

"Its okay, Javad. I'm just messing with you." He heard Calida laugh and smiled in response, he loved it when she laughed. "So, when do you want to go?"

"Are you available the day after tomorrow, probably around three?" Calida paused for a moment and then spoke into the phone once more.

"Yep, I'm all free. So, I guess you'll be picking me up?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll see you then. I have to go now, Mom wants my help with the cake! Goodbye for now, see you tomorrow!"

"Okay, goodbye Calida. I-" The phone clicked and Javad chuckled lightly, Calida hung up before he finished what he was going to say. His eyes shifted to the side and he let out a small sigh. "Megan, you can come in now." Megan walked into the room, whistling a tune and acting as though nothing at all happened. "You heard the entire conversation, didn't you?" Javad smirked and Megan's face changed to that of an excited expression.

"Of course I did! You were about to say you loved her!" Megan exclaimed with joy. Javad chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, it's because I do love her…"

"Okay, I'm going to get Mom, and we're going to help you with this!"

"Oh no." Javad's eyes widened as Megan rushed out of the room. He brought his and to his forehead and wondered what he had just gotten himself into.

-NEW SCENE-

Javad had come to pick her up, but one of the Fuhrer's bodyguards insisted that he drive the two to the Moon Star. Javad and Calida sat in the backseat, not sure exactly what to say. They merely listened to the soft music that was playing on the car stereo.

"The music is pretty nice," Javad said while glancing at Calida. She shrugged and looked out the window, Javad was going to have to try harder. _"Why the hell am I so nervous?"_ Calida sighed and looked over at Javad.

"Tell me, what makes you so interested in me?" Calida asked while shifting her eyes to the side. "I mean, after what happened in the past." Javad smiled softly at Calida and shook his head.

"That's the key word, 'past' is just that. I know that something like that never really leaves a person, but it helps you to be strong. It doesn't change my views on you, Calida. You know how I feel about you."

"Yeah, you love me, or so everyone seems to say." Javad smiled at Calida and placed his hand on top of hers.

"Calida, look at me." Calida lifted her eyes and met Javad's gaze, once he knew he had her attention, he knew what to say. "You are my best friend, my shoulder to lean on, the one person I know that I can count on. You're so that and so much more, so I can safely say that you're the love of my life, my one and only. You're my everything." Calida blushed lightly and gave Javad a small smile, not really knowing how to respond to that. Javad placed his hand under Calida's chin and tilted her head slightly. "You are beautiful. You're the most beautiful girl that I've ever known in my life." Calida paused for a moment and then smiled, it felt good to hear that from him. To be called beautiful was something that needed to be said to any girl.

"Heh, I bet you say that to all the girls…" Javad slowly shook his head and Calida raised her eyebrow.

"No, it's only you that I've ever said it to, and it's only you that I will ever say it to."

"Oh please, you and I both know what a flirt you are." Javad smirked and Calida glanced to the side, he hadn't been a flirt in years.

"No Calida, you are the one that I love. Calida, I mean it when I say this. You are so amazingly, wonderfully, beautifully, awesomely, maybe…no, most definitely the most precious of all precious things." Calida felt her heart thump up at that statement and her lips curled into a soft smile. "Calida, you're a treasure. You are not just _a_ treasure to me, you are _the_ treasure. I love you, and I will always cherish you, no matter what." Calida swallowed slightly and let a tear fall from her eyes. Nobody had ever told her the things that Javad said, and the way he said them was so sincere, and they made her heart melt.

"We're here!" The driver said from the front seat. He looked back and saw that Calida and Javad were silently gazing into each other's eyes, he smiled and waited to see if they'd respond. Javad's eyes didn't move an inch, but stayed glued to Calida's gaze.

"I think we should go in, now," Javad said in a quiet voice. Calida bit her lip and nodded as Javad turned and exited the car. He walked around and opened the door for Calida, she exited and Javad led her inside the restaurant. When they walked in, they saw a kind woman waiting to seat them. She led them to a table, where the two sat across from each other.

Sitting only a few tables away was Caldor and his father, King. Caldor gasped when he saw the two and froze up, starting to fear for his life. "What's wrong?" King asked as he looked to Caldor. He followed Caldor's gaze and frowned. "Oh, I see…Hmm, they appear to be on a date of some sort. Are you going to be okay?" Caldor was starting to look pale and sickly, King sighed and looked for a restroom. He placed his hand on Caldor's shoulder and looked into his son's eyes. "It's okay, you are good, you're not going to do anything bad to them and they're not going to kill you." King thought on that statement for a second and shrugged. _"Well if they don't see him…"_ King pulled Caldor up and started walking toward the restroom. "Come on, son."

"So Javad, I guess you finally got the guts to ask me on a date," Calida said with a subtle smirk. She honestly couldn't be more thrilled that he did, after almost four years, she thought he didn't really want to be with her. Javad smiled softly as the waiter placed the drinks on the table and left. Both had ordered the special of the day.

"I felt it was necessary. I thought we should start dating, we are kind of close after all."

"Kind of? Javad, we're best friends, we're closer than just 'kind of.'"

"Yeah, that's true."

"If it means anything to you, I _kind of_ like you." Javad's eye twitched slightly and Calida smirked. "Okay, so I like you, a lot…maybe even more than just a lot." From the restroom, Caldor and King were watching. It took Caldor a lot in order to not feel sick from staring at his two former friends. He was actually smiling at the sight.

"I'm glad that they're going on a date," Caldor said in a quiet voice. King looked over at him and smiled while crossing his arms. "I always thought they'd get together…but then…" King raised his eyebrow and grew concerned as Caldor's body started to shake. "Then I gave them that filthy spiked drink! Damn it, I hate myself!" King placed a steady hand on Caldor's shoulder, trying to calm him and keep him from creating a scene.

"You're going to be okay," King said in a quiet voice. "It wasn't your fault, Caldor. Remember that. Blaze was the one that did that, he's the one that gave you the drink."

"Right…Now I remember why I hate him so damn much." King nodded and narrowed his eyes.

"Correct, but he is not our problem."

"Hecate…" Caldor clenched his fists and growled. He took one last look at Calida and Javad, she was blushing once more. "It seems like she's starting to heal from…" Caldor swallowed hard and King shifted his eyes toward Caldor once more. "I need to get out of here before I puke."

"Right, let's go." With that, King and Caldor quickly left the place, making sure Calida and Javad did not notice them. One second later, Caldor stepped back in the room and found someone that was playing music. He smirked and whispered into the man's ear, then he quickly left once more.

"Thanks for bringing me here," Calida said while taking a bite of her food.

"No problem," Javad replied. He looked over at the man that was playing music, he wondered if he should request a song for Calida.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I have a song request from someone to two lovers!" The man said in a quick voice. Javad raised his eyebrow and Calida looked up. "The young couple must get up and dance." Both Calida and Javad chuckled, pitying the couple that was going to have to dance. "Javad Elric and Calida Mustang!" Their eyes widened and they looked over at the man in surprise, not knowing who requested a song for them. Javad shrugged and slowly stood up, he looked at Calida and smirked lightly as he held out his hand.

"Come on, Cali, shall we dance?" Calida blushed lightly and placed her hand in Javad's.

"Keep talking like that, and I may have to ask if you're up to something." Javad rolled his eyes and held his smirk as he pulled Calida from the seat and to his chest. He placed his hand on her lower back and his other hand on her upper back, she wrapped her arms around his neck and gazed into his eyes.

"The song requested for this lovely couple was from an anonymous man," the man said while playing the song. "The song is 'At Last' by Etta James."

"That's a nice song," Calida said while being held in Javad's arms. She made note of the powerful, but gentle embrace he held her in. She loved being in his arms, she felt safe and protected then. "Javad, thank you, you're really showing me a great time."

"I'm glad that you're happy, Calida. You are happy, right?"

"Of course I am. You're different than most, and I really appreciate that." Javad smiled and Calida rested her chin on his shoulder. "Javad, I trust you more than any other man I know…" Javad smiled at that, he was glad that she actually said she trusted him. Sure he knew she trusted him over time, but this was probably the first time she ever said it. Calida closed her eyes as she and Javad swayed with the music. "I love you, Javad."

Javad was not entirely shocked to hear it, he knew of her feelings for him, but he hadn't expected her to say that. Javad smiled and slowly rubbed her back. "I love you too, Calida. If you'll let me, I want to be the one that protects you and keeps you safe." Calida lifted her head and gazed into Javad's strong eyes, they were filled with pure love and care. They were the same eyes that he always had, the same love filled eyes that he had even before her attack.

"I trust you to protect me, just don't think I'm a defenseless girl, because I'm not." Javad smirked and Calida felt her heart jump with it. She smiled softly and kept her gaze with him.

"I would never think you're defenseless."

"That's a good thing."

"Looking into your eyes, I just lose myself…" Calida smiled and slowly blinked, her eyes never averting from Javad's gaze. "You know, I always wondered why people ever said 'she's the one' or 'I know who I want to spend the rest of my life with,' but now with you, I've finally realized why. You're the only one for me, Calida."

"You've always been there for me, and I always thought you'd hate me and leave me."

"No, I could never leave you and I'll never leave you. I love you too much to ever hurt you."

"You promise you'll never hurt me, Javad?" Calida looked slightly timid, it was different than how Javad normally saw her. She always seemed so tough, but he knew that at the same time, she was vulnerable. It didn't change a thing for him, though.

"I can promise that I will never intentionally hurt you." Calida smiled at him and took a small breath. Her lips parted slightly as she gazed at his lips, she swallowed slightly and felt her heart start beating harder in her chest. She shifted her eyes to meet with Javad's gaze, slowly her lips moved toward Javad. Her eyes fluttered shut as their lips met. They felt a spark shoot through their bodies for the second that they held the kiss. To Calida, it was another step toward breaking from the memory that haunted her, and only Javad ever could help her to become free from it. To her, his kiss was soft and gentle, yet strong and protective. Calida opened her eyes and pulled back, she smiled at Javad and rested her head just under his chest.

"Thank you." Those two words held more meaning than just the date, but for being her friend, and caring for her. She was thanking him for loving her, and never straying from her. Javad smiled softly and kissed her forehead.

"I'll always be here for you." Calida closed her eyes and a single tear fell from her eye. With that, the two continued to dance, not caring who was watching them.

* * *

I thought it was appropriate and about time to let them go on a date with each other. I hope you liked the chapter.


	47. Confrontations and moving

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Thoughts in _italics_, Speech in regular. This chapter will start off with just a little prior to the fight.

* * *

Chapter 47 (Confrontations and Moving)

"Did you see that!" Caldor said in a quick voice as he and King walked down the streets. "They kissed." King smiled and nodded his head in response, both were happy for Calida and Javad. Caldor placed his hands behind his head and stared ahead, he thought for a moment and frowned. "Hey Dad, I keep having those images…" King looked at Caldor and frowned, he had often been having nightmares about hurting Calida.

"Try your best not to think about them," King said while patting Caldor's shoulder. "True, they may haunt you for a while, but in the end, they will no longer trouble you. I'll be right by your side until then, making sure to help you heal from all of this." Caldor nodded and crossed his arms over, King raised his eyebrow and frowned. "Is there something else on your mind, Caldor?" Caldor waited a moment and thought of Calida and Javad, he nodded and stopped walking. "What is it?"

"I remember before, when I had always wanted to share that moment with someone. Now, that moment will never come." Caldor looked toward the ground and clenched his teeth. "I'm no longer worthy of that thing that they can feel, _love_. I want to be able to fall in love, but I know that I can't do such a thing, not now and perhaps never."

"Don't say such things, Caldor. Every human is capable of falling in love."

"No, I can't possibly be human. I know I am, but at the same time, I am a monster. I can't love another, because of what I have done." Caldor shoved his hands in his pocket and frowned. "I remember when I was younger, Javad and I would always talk about doing everything that friends should do. We would talk about going on bike races through the mountains when we were older, helping the other to get ready for dates and possibly help them to have a successful date, and even attend each other's wedding. That is, if we weren't the other's best man. Now, nothing will ever happen. I've lost two of my best friends because I was controlled by a witch." King let out a sigh and patted Caldor's back, thinking of something to say.

"You've already helped them have a good date, in a way." King smirked and Caldor raised his eyebrow, unsure of when that happened. "At least I think their date was a successful one. You requested that song for them, it was a good gesture. See, you have a good heart, so you shouldn't have to worry about what you yourself didn't do." Caldor lifted his hands and stared at them, he slowly balled them into a fist and growled slightly.

"My hands are unclean, they're filthy. These hands are rapist hands!" King took Caldor's wrist and held it in place.

"Look at this hand, Caldor." Caldor nodded and stared at his hand, frowning upon it. "This hand is _not_ filthy, at least I don't think so. Caldor, you have nothing to worry about. You are _not_ a rapist." Caldor frowned and King released his wrist, watching it fall to the side. "Your homunculus form is guilty, it is the one that Calida and Javad hate. It has the same face as you, so you'll probably never talk to Calida or Javad again." Caldor's body shook slightly at that statement, it was hard to accept. "That doesn't mean that you are any less deserving of friendship, love, or any of that stuff. You deserve to be happy."

"Hah, you deserve death is what you deserve," A voice said from behind. Caldor looked over to see Cal glaring at him with a menacing grin. "I have to say, giving Envy control was pretty nice." Cal slowly walked over to Caldor and grabbed his shirt, pulling him close and glaring evilly at him. "Hello there, fellow rapist. Oh, that little plan of yours worked out well, by the way. Hecate believes that I've let Envy take control, and I have. Not only that, but I told them that Pride had been killed."

"Good for you," Caldor said while letting out a quick growl. "Now, let me go, do you think you could do that?" Cal tilted his head to the side and chuckled.

"I suppose." Cal slammed Caldor into a nearby building and laughed with almost insane laughter. King growled and drew his sword, it was originally Caldor's, but he gave it to him. The reason was because it used to be King's sword. "Oh, are you going to try and attack me?"

"Shut up and die, you piece of crap."

"Would you attack the face of your own son?" King stared at Cal and growled slightly.

"You are not my son, my son is right there." King tilted his head toward Caldor and glared at Cal.

"So, you think you're going to be able to fight me? You, a human…I would ask you not to make me laugh, but I already am!" King narrowed his eyes and smirked.

"You forget, a human took down Bullet, so a human can surely take you down." Cal rolled his eyes and scowled at King.

"Yeah, but remember that _two_ human's killed him. Are you intending to let your son fight me?" King growled slightly and his hands tightened around the handle of his sword.

"My son isn't in the condition to fight, but I suspect I'll be more than enough for you to handle."

"Oh, are you sure of that? After all, I am _two_ homunculi in one." King chuckled lightly and held his glare on Cal. "Plus, why don't you die? You were one of the former homunculi that wanted to die, so why not accept death?"

"I have a reason to live, bastard." Cal raised his eyebrow and King shifted his eyes to Caldor. Caldor was standing up and rubbing the back of his head. "I need to take care of my son." Cal raised his eyebrow and grinned evilly as he shifted his eyes toward Caldor. Caldor had an almost soulless expression on his face.

"Look at him, he _wants_ to die!" Cal exclaimed while cackling. "He doesn't want to live, he's too damn burdened." Cal turned toward Caldor and narrowed his eyes. "Hey Caldor, how does it feel? How does it feel to know that your best friend wants to kill you because you raped his woman?" Caldor clenched his fists and King let out a small growl.

"You will _not_ talk to my son like that!" King charged toward Cal and slashed his blade toward the homunculus. Cal leapt back and narrowed his eyes.

"What are you, a fool? You know you're going to die if you fight me. I guess you really do want to die."

"No, I'd rather stay alive."

"Then I'll kill your son, he has no reason to stay alive." King growled and shifted his eyes over to Caldor. Caldor's head was positioned downward and his eyes were shifted to the side. "See? He has no purpose, no reason to live."

"He has every reason to live! I'm getting older, for one thing, he needs to stay alive and take care of his old man." King smirked and Caldor shifted his eyes toward his father. "He has to stay alive and learn to do the right things in life. As his father, I forgive him for letting Hecate control him and letting you rule over him, causing him to suffer the burden of raping his best friend. I'm sure Calida and Javad would forgive _him_ since he's not the one that did it, it was _you_."

"Heh, you sure like to talk for an old man." Cal smirked and crossed his arms over. "Well, I do not really need to bother with you two anyway. I believe Calida and Javad are that way, right?" Cal pointed past King and started walking. He stopped when King put his sword in front of him. "Oh, what are you doing?"

"You are not to go in that direction."

"Do you intend to stop me, old timer?" King growled and swiftly cut into Cal's chest with his blade. "Ugh! Damn you!"

"Dad, what the hell are you doing!" Caldor shouted. His eyes widened as King held his blade in Cal's chest.

"Don't call me old," King stated. "I am only sixty, that's not very old at all. You're pretty old, though." King smirked and shifted his eyes to Cal. Cal was groaning with pain, King wouldn't remove the blade and was slowly turning it around. "How about it, how about I split you in two? Maybe you'll expel Envy from your body, I really wouldn't mind talking to him. Maybe even killing him would be fun."

"Idiot, he'd kill you," Cal said while letting out a small laugh. "Might I say that he's the one keeping me from raping Calida again? Apparently this guy will do anything _but_ rape someone. I'm sure you don't want him leaving my body." King shrugged and pierced his blade through Cal's body and out his back. "Crap!"

"Go ahead and regenerate if you want, but you probably won't be getting very far." Caldor was staring at the two with fear, his father was the only person he had in the world that he could rely on. He was afraid of Cal killing his father, he didn't want that to happen.

"You do realize it was probably a mistake to expel Caldor's human self from me? It makes it a hell of a lot easier to commit evil actions.'

"I don't give a damn, Caldor's free now, that's important."

"Free? He's in hell, trying to sort out everything in his life, and failing miserably." Cal started to reattach his body, but was interrupted when King sliced off his legs. "Damn you!"

"Dad, stop!" Caldor exclaimed. "Let's just run, now! He'll kill you if you're not careful!"

"I'd listen to your son if I were you." Cal smirked and started to reattach his limbs. "He'll probably die if you die, since he doesn't seem to be able to take care of himself." Caldor frowned and glanced to the side, that much was true. He would probably kill himself somehow, since he didn't really know how to deal with all the guilt.

"That's what we're working on," King said while glaring at Cal. He shifted his eyes to the side and saw Calida and Javad in the distance, they were getting into their car. He smirked as they drove off. "Go on and pass, if you're aiming for Calida and Javad, they're in that direction." Caldor's jaw fell and Cal smirked as he slowly stood up.

"Thank you. I'll deal with you later!" Cal ran off and Caldor stepped next to King, staring at him in shock.

"You let him go after them?" Cal asked. King shrugged and sheathed his sword.

"Nope, he won't find them," King replied. "I saw them in the distance, they just left." Caldor blinked and his lips curled into a smirk. "Don't worry about them son, they're safe. As for you and me, we should probably leave before Cal realizes he's been duped and comes after us."

"Yeah, I'll just brighten things up for a bit." Caldor pressed his hands together and the entire area grew brighter, King looked around and saw nothing but white space around them.

"Nice, I guess we can leave without being seen." Caldor nodded and the two broke out into a run. "So, do you have any ideas where you'd like to stay? I was thinking about buying a house around here somewhere, or we can move to somewhere like Xing."

"Let's stay in Amestris, a house around here wouldn't be too bad. I get the feeling the homunculi are changing their hideout again…"

"Most likely, but then, probably not…"

"You know what, I think things are looking good for Cali and Javad."

"Yeah…" The two stopped running and stood in front of a house. "Caldor, this is the house I saw the other day, I'm considering this one." Caldor rubbed his chin and smiled, the outside of the house looked beautiful. "I've already got some payment on it, if you like it, I'll put in the rest and we can move in."

"What do we have, though?"

"Well, there is another option. If we go into the military, they'll give us a house with all the furnishing and so forth." Caldor's eyes widened slightly and he looked to his father, concerned that he would suggest something. "I think we may have to change our military names, but we should still be able to go in. Or at least you should still be able to get in."

"Dad, are you _insane_? Don't you know who is in the military!" King crossed his arms and frowned while glancing at his son.

"I think it would help you out a lot." Caldor moaned slightly and drifted his eyes to the side.

"I don't know…All I know is I don't think I'm ready to even go near the Mustangs or even the Elrics. All I would do is plead for them to kill me, I know they would, and I'm sure they want to."

"True, but you do realize that one day you are going to have to face them. I'll help you until that day, and I guess we can take this house until then, perhaps."

"Yeah, Dad, that sounds like a good plan." King grinned and crossed his arms over.

"You know, I told you how I was planning on opening a diner, right?" Caldor nodded and raised his eyebrow. "Well, I found a perfect place to set it up! Not only that, but I've got a great name as well." Caldor tilted his head to the side and King smirked. "The name will be King's Diner." Caldor chuckled lightly and rolled his eyes.

"How original, I wonder how you thought up _that_ name." King chuckled and patted Caldor's back.

"We're going to make it, Son. It's going to be just fine. Let's see, the current owners of the house would be in there, all we have to do is go in, look around and see how you like it. If you like it, we can move in." Caldor nodded and the two walked to the front door and knocked.

"Hope it looks better inside than it does outside, that would be perfect!" King chuckled lightly and smiled at his son's excitement. He knew it would take some time for Caldor to get used to human life again, and it would take some time for Caldor to see any worth in his life. Seeing Caldor happy like this, though, was a very good sign. The door opened and a twenty year old woman stepped out of the house.

"Hello, I'm Denise Bloch," The woman said with a smile. She looked at King and smiled. "You're the man that was here earlier, and this is your son?"

"Yeah, we're looking to buy the house," King said while smiling at the young woman. "My son wants to see the interior first, then we'll design."

"Good, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. I really do need to get this house sold. I have to move closer to mom, she's getting up there in her years and needs someone to take care of her."

"Yeah, what would our parents do without us?" Caldor asked with a smirk. "Who on earth would put up with them?" King rolled his eyes and huffed, Denise chuckled lightly and gestured toward the house.

"Right, right, what would they do without us? Well, come on in and look around."

"So, it's just your mom, what happened to your dad?" King asked while stepping into the home.

"He passed on a few months ago, that's why I'm moving close to my mom. She was hit pretty hard, actually."

"That's too bad," Caldor said in a quiet and sincere voice. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you for your kindness." Denise smiled and Caldor stared at her in surprise as she continued to walk onward, the statement had caught him off guard.

"K-Kindness…" King looked to Caldor and chuckled as he patted Caldor's back. He quickly shrugged off his slight embarrassment and started looking around the house. "This really is a great looking home." He smiled and walked on to listen to Denise as she gave the tour of the home.

* * *

Well, we've met up with Cal, it seems Caldor looks more human now. Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	48. A Heated Battle

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Thoughts in _italics_, Speech in regular. This chapter will start off with just a little prior to the fight.

* * *

Chapter 48 (A Fiery Battle)

Six more months had passed on, it was now the middle of October, and still, nobody could find the hideout of the homunculi. Nor had there had been any sightings of any new or old homunculi. It was almost as though they vanished from the face of the earth. Javad and Calida had only grown closer in those months, and everyone that knew them were well pleased by their progress. Megan was probably the happiest, because she knew Javad was keeping his promise to make Calida happy.

Currently, they were at a beach, and the sun was setting. It was truly a beautiful sight, and both were happy to share the experience with each other. "If you could have any other girl in the world," Calida said as she rested her head on his shoulder. "You always say you'd choose me." Javad smiled and nodded his head in response. He gently kissed Calida's forehead and looked up as the stars began to appear.

"None of the women in this world are you, Calida. You're special. You're my best friend, and you've always been my best friend. Yet, I've always loved you and had hoped to be more than that." Calida blinked and Javad lifted his hand to point at a star in the sky. "Do you see that star?" Calida slowly nodded her head and Javad smiled. "It's the brightest star in the sky. I know it will always be there, staying by my side, and I will always return to it. I love that star, because it's beautiful and it has open arms, waiting for me. To me, you are that star." Javad lowered his arm and smiled as he looked at Calida.

"Javad…" Calida felt herself starting to blush. She thought on Javad's words and slowly let a smirk form on her face. "That was probably the corniest line that I've ever heard in my life. Yet, at the same time, those words make me feel so different. You've always made me feel good whenever I'm with you." She couldn't ever explain just how good she felt when she was with him, but she knew that she loved the feeling and she loved Javad, she always would.

"Well I'm glad that I can do this for you." Javad truly couldn't be happier with the way things were going. He still hated the homunculi, and he was going to be sure to stop their plans. If they targeted Calida, he'd protect her with his life, and he would kill them if they ever laid a finger on her. "You know, even though we're dating, you still never go easy on me while we spar." Calida smirked and slowly shook her head, she would never go easy on him, since she loved to win. "Yeah, you're not going to go easy on me anytime soon, are you?"

"Of course not, you're just a weakling, that's all." Javad chuckled lightly and slowly shook his head. Of course she'd say that, but he'd have to win eventually. "Hmm, Javad, I just realized something! You can't beat me in a sparring match, yet I am letting you try and keep your promise to protect me. So, I'm letting a weaker person protect me?" Javad smirked had wrapped his arms around Calida's waist, she gasped as he pulled her close to his body. She looked up and into his eyes, losing herself in a trance.

"Calida, as long as I'm by your side, nothing can touch you, that is my promise. My strength has nothing to do with that, because I would protect you no matter what happens. You're a strong girl, that much is true, and I love you for it. You being stronger than I am would be a good thing, though you know that I won't admit to you being stronger." Javad smirked and Calida let out a small chuckle. She figured it was just his male ego, not wanting to let it be known that he was weaker than his female best friend.

"You just don't want people knowing that a girl can still kick your butt." Calida smirked and Javad gently kissed her forehead. "Sorry, but kissing me isn't going to change the fact that I can still beat you, and I always will." Javad laughed and Calida raised her eyebrow. "What are you laughing at? Are you laughing at yourself or are you somehow laughing at me? I demand that you stop laughing and do something else." Javad shrugged and pulled Calida tighter into the embrace. She blushed lightly and felt as though she could stay in Javad's arms forever. "Javad, don't let go."

"I won't let go, I could hold you forever." Calida smiled and wrapped her arms around Javad's neck.

"Thank you, Javad." Calida closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the waves crashing onto the shore. She felt her heart beating in her chest, Javad's heartbeat was joining it in the rhythm that seemed like music. Javad always promised to protect her, and he did a better job of it than he thought. Whenever she was in his arms, he made her forget about her past, protecting her from all of her fears and pains. "I guess you win, Javad."

"What do you mean?"

"You said that you were going to try and get me to trust you again, no matter what." Javad smiled as Calida rested her head on his chest. "Not only that, but you are stronger than I am. Maybe not physically…" Calida smirked slightly and Javad merely smiled at her. "But you protect me from my past. I know for the last four years, I always would crumple down and be afraid of so many things, but now I'm not afraid anymore. I mean, I am still afraid, but when I'm with you, I know that I don't have any reason to be fearful."

"I'm glad you feel that way, Calida." Javad smiled and kissed her forehead. Javad then rested his chin on Calida's head, gazing over at the beach. He thought he heard something nearby and started to scan the area, trying to see if there was anything else around. In the distance, he spotted a yellow light, it was bright and seemed like neon._ "What is that?"_ Javad's grip on Calida tightened unconsciously, as though there was danger nearby. His muscles tightened and his eyes narrowed as the light started rushing toward them.

He then recognized the light, it was fire, and it was coming toward them at rapid pace. "Calida, look out!" Calida's eyes opened and widened as Javad quickly spun himself in front of her. She saw the fire and gasped as it hit Javad.

"No! Javad!" Javad shouted as he fell to the ground, he then felt himself being hit in the head by a heavy object, knocking him unconscious. Calida took a step back and stared at Javad in shock, her body started to shake with anger as she looked from Javad to the attacker. "Blaze, you've shown up…" Blaze smirked and crossed his arms, glaring evilly at Calida.

"You didn't think we forgot about you people, I hope," Blaze said in a threatening voice. "I'm going to take you to Lady Hecate, and you're going to do what we want, no matter what." Blaze grabbed Calida's arm and she swiftly glared at his hand. Her eyes drifted from his hand and to his gaze, she growled slightly and stared at him with rage slowly building up inside of her. "What? You seem a little angry, did I stop you from having a moment with your beloved boyfriend?"

"Damn you, bastard. Release my arm." Calida grabbed the handle of her sword and swiftly drew it, slicing through Blade's arm and chest. Blaze shouted out in pain and stepped back, narrowing his eyes and glaring at Calida. "Go ahead and reattach that arm, I don't really care if you do or not." Blaze sucked in his breath and Calida raised her eyebrow. "So, are you going to try and breathe fire onto me? I can control fire." Blaze blew flames out of his mouth. Calida snapped her fingers and the fire flew upwards.

"You think that's going to help you?" Blaze charged toward Calida and lifted his arm up. Calida narrowed her eyes and thrust her blade into his abdomen, then she turned her blade and sliced it up and out of his head. "Crap!" She then leapt back and snapped her fingers. Blaze felt the oxygen around him vanish, he narrowed his eyes and growled. "What are you doing!"

"Making sure you don't have any flames to use." Calida looked toward Javad and frowned, he was still out. "How dare you attack him!" Calida snapped her fingers and a huge gust of wind hit Blaze and blew him into the beach waters.

"Crap!" Blaze started swimming to shore and slowly stood up when he reached the beach. He narrowed his eyes and glared at Calida. "Bitch, you'll pay for that!" Calida kept her eyes narrowed and her glare on him.

"You shouldn't call me that, you never know what might happen. I assure you, I'm not a bitch. At least I'm not a bitch to those who know me, as far as you're concerned, you have picked the wrong day to pull me into bitch mode." Calida snapped her fingers and the sand shot up from the ground and grabbed onto Blaze's legs.

"What the hell!" Calida snapped her fingers again and wet the sand, turning it into mud. She then snapped her fingers and sent several bursts of flames onto the sand, hardening it. "Damn you!" Blaze lifted his hand up and shot a blast of fire toward Calida. She dodged the blast and snapped her fingers, hitting Blaze with a fiery spike. "Fire won't do much to me, you should know that." Calida frowned and shrugged her shoulders, she figured it wouldn't do a lot to him, but she wasn't worried about it.

"I won't use fire on you, then." Calida snapped her fingers once more and Blaze turned to see a large wave of water shooting toward him. "That _would_ only soak you, but let's do something a bit different." Calida snapped her fingers again and the water turned into various water spikes. Blaze's eyes widened and he let out a loud shout as the spikes hit his body. "It looks like that may work out just fine for me. Thankfully I've been working on my alchemy for a while, and now I believe I can beat you pretty well."

"Damn it, I should have brought Cal with me." Calida's eyes widened and she quickly bared her teeth. She snapped her fingers and the sand quickly grew over Blaze's head and hardened as it covered him. She snapped her fingers once more and sent water into the top of the rock formation, drenching him. Another snap of her fingers took all air away from him, and another snap caused massive explosions inside the hardened sand.

"Don't ever mention that bastard, there's nothing he can do to me! Nothing!" Calida's hand tightened on her sword and she quickly charged toward the rock formation. She snapped her fingers and the sand grew soft. She swiftly ran her blade through the sand, cutting through Blaze's body. She slashed it back through him once more, and again after that, cutting him multiple times. Calida brought her sword down and started to pant, she didn't want to hear anymore about Caldor. She felt a hand touch her shoulder and she quickly jumped up and turned around. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was only Javad. "Javad…you're alright." Calida dropped her sword and wrapped her arms around Javad, he wrapped his arms around her and held her close, never daring to let her go.

"Don't worry, you're okay." Javad looked over to see Blaze on the ground, cut into several pieces. "Whoa, what did he do to tick you off?" Javad looked into Calida's eyes and gently brushed her hair back. "I'm sorry that I couldn't do anything…"

"Don't be, I am okay after all." Javad nodded and gently kissed Calida's forehead. "Is Blaze dead now?" Javad raised his eyebrow and Calida shrugged, not really caring. The second he mentioned Caldor's name, she remembered what he had done. Javad saw the saddened expression on her face and gave her a comforting smile. "Hey, hey, it's going to be okay. I won't allow anything to happen to you."

"I know you won't." Calida softly kissed Javad's cheek and stepped back. "I'm going to take care of Blaze right now. One more homunculus that we don't really need around here…" Javad nodded and Calida carefully picked up her sword. She walked over to Blaze and held the blade above his chest. "Goodbye, Blaze." She thrust the blade down and pierced his heart, he let out a shrieking sound and fell back to the ground, dead. Calida sheathed her blade and exhaled slowly, she felt Javad wrap one arm around her waist and hold her close.

"You did well, Calida."

"I think Blaze is the one that gave Caldor that drink that got us drunk four years ago…" Javad nodded and did not wince at the memory. It was in the past, and Calida trusted him more now than she ever did.

"It's in the past, not something that we should think about." Javad looked into the sky and frowned, he was sure it was getting very late. "Our families are probably worried about us, so let's go home."

"Yeah, let's go." With that, the two left the beach, not caring about Blaze's human form. What they didn't see was Cal, hiding away near the beach. Cal ran out as Blaze's human form stood up, he smirked and stabbed a dagger into the man's chest, killing him instantly.

"Sorry buddy, but you're no longer needed," Cal stated while grinning maliciously.

* * *

Calida has defeated Blaze. Cal has killed Blaze's human form...the guy didn't even last as long as Archer. I hope you enjoyed the chapter


	49. Blessings

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Thoughts in _italics_, Speech in regular. This chapter will start off with just a little prior to the fight.

* * *

Chapter 49 (Blessings)

March came around, and everyone was celebrating the fact that the homunculi hadn't done anything at all. Javad was at a park with his family, they were having a picnic and admiring the beauty of their surroundings. While Ed and Winry talked about life, and Megan read a magazine on automail, Javad found himself growing lost in his thoughts. He was only catching snippets of what the others were saying.

Ed was talking about how he was tired of only having paperwork to do at the office, and how he was surrounded by subordinates that acted like they knew nothing. Winry was laughing at some of the jokes that Ed made, but to Javad, it sounded like she was just laughing at nothing. Megan was grinning widely at the mechanics in the magazine and every now and then would ask Ed or Winry if she could have something. Javad didn't pay much attention to that either. He was lying with his hand behind his head and gazing up toward the clouds.

In just one month, he and Calida would have been dating for a full year. It was less than a month, actually, since it was late March and they started dating around mid-April. Even though they dated for a year, they had known each other since they were five. He knew that she loved him just as much as he loved her, and he would do anything for her, depending on the circumstances. Of course, them dating hadn't changed a lot in their prior friendship, they did still tease each other constantly. Though with every tease, and every playful insult, they had had some arguments. Though, with each argument, they always made up soon after it had begun.

Ed, Winry, and Megan were staring at Javad with perplexed expressions, they had been trying to talk to him for the last few minutes, and got zero response. "Javad, what's going on?" Ed asked.

"What?" Javad responded as he opened his eyes and sat up. He blinked and chuckled nervously when he saw everyone staring at him. "Sorry, I guess Calida's been on my mind all day." She had been on his mind more that current week than any other day, but still she was almost always on his mind.

"Ah, I see." Ed crossed his arms and smirked as he closed his eyes. "Of course she would be on your mind, she _is_ your best friend and girlfriend." Winry nodded and gave Javad a small smile. Megan merely grinned and crossed her arms. She loved whenever Javad started thinking about Calida, she couldn't help it if she wanted to see them together more than anything. Javad narrowed his eyes and stared suspiciously at his father, wondering what insane thoughts were going through his mind. "So, anything you want to talk to us about?"

"Uh…" Javad rubbed the back of his neck and shifted his eyes to meet the gazes of his family. "Well, I'm not sure, but…" Javad knew what he wanted to do and what he wanted to say, but he wasn't sure how he wanted to reveal it. He slowly stood up and everyone carefully watched him. "Dad, can I talk to you alone?" Ed nodded and stood up, eager to talk to his son about whatever was on his mind. He followed Javad away from the girls and onto the park's hiking trail. "This is a great place, Calida and I walked along this path several times."

"I'll agree with you, it's a beautiful park." Ed smiled and glanced over at a tree. "That's a redwood, and the tree next to it is a Maple." Javad chuckled lightly and crossed his arms over his chest. He couldn't help the fact that he had grown a fascination with trees and other plants in the past five years. "So, Javad, tell me what's on your mind. Obviously, it's Calida, what do you have to say that Winry and Megan can't hear?" Ed blinked and narrowed his eyes. "Javad…" Javad's eyes widened and he stared at Ed in shock.

"What are you thinking?" Ed smirked and slowly shook his head. "Yeah, anyway…" Javad glanced over at a park table and moved over to it, he sat down on the bench and leaned back, placing his elbows on the table. Ed sat on the bench next to Javad and looked straight ahead. Javad gazed at a tree and saw two squirrels sitting on the branch, staring back at him. Flying toward the tree were two birds, they landed inside the leaves, making themselves at home. He listened to the birds as they chirped, letting out a small song. "Dad, I want to marry her."

"You do?" Ed looked over at Javad and smiled at his son. "If you want to, then you should propose to her. Do you think she's ready for marriage?"

"That's what I wanted to ask you…"

"Oh." Ed crossed his arms and rubbed his chin. "Well, you know, nobody can really tell if another person is ready for something. If you're ready, and you believe she's willing, then propose. You have nothing to lose, right? You two were best friends for so long, and you two are a good couple. She trusts you more than anything, that much we all know."

"Yeah, and she knows that I'll protect her no matter what. I love her with all my heart, and I know she feels the same." Ed nodded in response and glanced back at the tree in front of them.

"If you know she feels the same, and there's a strong love bond between you two, then where is the question? You've proved yourself to her, she seems to consider you her 'hero' per say. If you ask me, I think she wouldn't pass up the chance to marry you. The only question is when?"

"I was thinking after she turns twenty one. Of course, that would really be her main decision. We'll probably make all those decisions together."

"That would be a good idea. So, have you bought her a ring already?" Javad nodded and reached his hand into his pocket, he pulled out a small box and looked at it.

"Actually, I got it just a while back. It was a subconscious thing, sort of. I didn't even think about marrying her and I walked into a jewelry store and bought this ring. Then I felt that was a sign that I was ready to propose to her."

"Then do so, if you're absolutely sure that she's the one you want to spend the rest of your life with, then propose to her. Be confident as well, I am sure she would accept." Ed patted Javad's back and the two stood up, they continued walking down the path, admiring the scenes around them. Javad knew that he would have to talk to Calida first, but Roy was definitely someone who he'd have to talk to. He hoped that Roy would grant him the permission to marry Calida. "Let's go talk to the girls, we'll have to come here again." Javad nodded in response and thought about what he'd say to Calida and then Roy.

-NEW SCENE-

Calida was helping her mom plant some trees in the backyard, Roy had gone inside to check on something, and would be coming back out to help them with the work, it was just a routine family moment. "Mom, I have a question," Calida said while she stood up from the ground.

"Sure, what do you need?" Riza asked.

"Uh…" Calida thought for a minute and stared at the ground. "What did Dad do when he proposed? Is married life really all that it appears to be?" Riza stopped working on the shrub that she had been working on and looked over at Calida, she made note of the fact that Calida quickly tried to hide a blush on her face.

"What do you want to know? I can tell you whatever you want to know, is this about Javad?"

"Not _really_, I was just wondering…" Riza smiled at her daughter and gave her a quick hug. "What was that for, Mom?"

"My baby's growing up." Riza smiled and crossed her arms. "Just don't tell your father." Calida laughed and Riza looked over at the house. "Roy loves you more than anything, he'd probably be afraid to just hand you over to some guy. If it's Javad, I bet he'd be happy to let you get married to him, though I predict your father giving him a hard time."

"Mom, I never said anything about Javad." Riza smirked and looked at Calida, she could tell Javad was on her mind. "Okay, so he is."

"Yeah, let's call it Mother's Intuition, sweetie." Calida chuckled and Riza gave her a soft smile. "Married life is great. When you're with the man that you love, and you know that he'll always come back to you. There's nothing greater than to be with that man…there are so many great things about married life, and I can't explain them all. Those are the things that you'll have to experience when it comes."

"Would it really be such a great thing? I mean…" Calida glanced to the side and blushed slightly. "I love Javad so much. I just wonder if he might ever want to get married, what would I say? What would I do?"

"You say whatever is in your heart. If you feel like you're ever ready to take on married life, and your heart says yes, then follow your heart." Calida smiled at her mom and nodded her head, she knew that Javad loved her without a doubt. She never would doubt him, not for anything would she doubt his love.

"I know he cares, and I know he would never leave me or hurt me. He's proved that many times. Any other guy, I'd be afraid of them leaving me, especially if they knew that I had been raped."

"I understand."

"Yeah, but Javad, he's different. I can't explain it so easily, but it's just the way he makes me feel…when I'm with him…"

"You feel like you're the most special girl in the world and you would want to stay by his side no matter what?"

"Yeah, and he always looks at me like I'm the only girl he's ever loved and ever will love. There's just so much…" Calida's face scrunched up and fell flat. "God, I sound like I'm in one of your romance novels." Riza laughed lightly and shook her head.

"Every girl feels like that at times." Roy stepped out of the house and looked over, Riza glanced toward him and smirked. "Roy, I think you're getting some grey hair!"

"I am not!" Roy exclaimed. He crossed his arms and sighed. "Anyway, I thought I should let you know, Javad's in the front room." Calida's eyes beamed up and she looked over at her mom, almost as if to ask what Javad might want. "He looks pretty serious, I think it'd be a good idea to go see him."

"Yeah, I'm going!" Calida said as she put down her shovel and quickly walked toward the door. Roy chuckled lightly and walked over to Riza, he wrapped his arms around her waist and gently kissed her lips.

"Did I mention how beautiful you look out here?" Calida pressed her hand on the door and looked over at her parents with a smile, she always loved how they acted.

"Roy, I have dirt all over myself, and I'm sweating," Riza said in a quick voice. Roy shrugged and kissed Riza once more.

"See if I care, Riza. I've seen you with a lot worse, and you still look like an angel." Riza blushed lightly and gave Roy a kiss on the cheek. Calida smiled and closed her eyes.

_"Mom and Dad have always had a perfect married life,"_ Calida thought while letting out a small sigh. She thought it was beautiful, and she wanted that life. When she closed her eyes, she could just imagine that life with Javad. _"Oh, Javad, I almost forgot he was in there!"_ Calida quickly opened the door and walked inside. She saw that her garden gloves were on and quickly took them off. _"I don't know why I care, but I really don't want Javad to see those dirty gloves on me. Speaking of dirty, I'm filthy, and I'm walking toward Javad. Oh well, it's not like I can take a shower."_

"Calida, how are you?" Javad asked as he walked toward Calida. He placed his hands on her waist and kissed her forehead. "You look so beautiful." Calida chuckled lightly and tilted her head.

"I'm dirty and sweaty from working outside, Javad." Javad smirked and kissed Calida's forehead once more.

"See if I care." Calida giggled and Javad raised his eyebrow. "Wow, you giggled, that's amazing!" Calida raised her eyebrow in response and tilted her head to the side.

"And I don't giggle?"

"Not often, but I think you're cute when you giggle. Even your laugh is cute." Calida smiled and wrapped her arms around Javad's neck, she kissed his lips and smiled at him.

"So, what brings you here?"Javad smirked and placed his finger under Calida's chin, and a thumb right under her lip. He tilted her head slightly and gazed into her eyes.

"I just came to see my best friend, girlfriend, and possibly something more." Calida's eyes widened at the last part of the statement, Javad smiled at her and she wondered what he meant by that. Javad lowered his lips to embrace hers. She closed her eyes and deepened the kiss. He then parted with her lips and reached into his pocket, Calida watched with widening eyes as he pulled out a velvet box. "Calida, we've been through a lot, I know. I know we've had our share of troubles and rocky times, but I know that together we've overcome them all. Calida, I love you with all my heart, and it's here that I ask you this question." Javad opened the box and revealed the diamond ring. "Will you be my wife? Will you make me the happiest man in the world, not that I'm not already, that is."

"Javad…" Calida took a breath and a tear escaped her eyes. "You're asking me this and I don't even look good!" Javad chuckled lightly and slowly shook his head.

"I've never known you to be worried about looks, Calida."

"I know, I'm not usually…" Calida narrowed her eyes and let out a small sigh. "Yet, I am still a girl. You've just asked me the most important question ever, and I have sticks in my hair." Javad smirked and knelt on one knee.

"You've yet to answer, will you marry me?"

"Yes!" Calida laughed and threw her arms around Javad's neck. "Of course I want to marry you, I love you, Javad." Calida had tears running down her cheeks, but these were tears of joy. Javad looked at her and smiled, he had fulfilled the promise he made years ago. The rain was not going to fall, instead, she would cry tears of joy. She kissed him once more and leaned back slightly, she smirked and gazed into Javad's eyes. "You know, you're probably going to have to ask Dad for his blessing."

"Yeah, I know." Even though he knew Roy very well, he still was like every other guy when it came to asking a man for their daughter's hand in marriage. So naturally, he was nervous. Javad smiled and slowly stood up, he wrapped his arms around Calida and kissed her forehead. "You don't know how nervous I am, and I shouldn't even have to _be_ nervous." Calida chuckled lightly and rested her chin on Javad's shoulder. Believe it or not, she was actually happy to see Javad nervous over her father's reaction, it showed even more just how much he wanted to be with her.

Roy and Riza soon walked into the main room, Riza tilted his head to the side and Riza smiled softly. Javad and Calida looked over and Roy merely smirked at them. He lifted his hand and thumbed toward the restroom. "Calida, you should go take a shower," Roy said with a small grin. Calida nodded her head and gave Javad another quick peck on the cheek before walking to the restroom. Javad looked at Roy and Riza, he knew full well what was about to happen. "So, Javad, let's go into my office."

'Yes sir." Javad followed Roy and Riza into Roy's office and sat down in the chair in front of the desk. Roy sat in his chair and rested his elbows on the desk, while clasping his hands in front of his face. Riza stood next to Roy and smiled kindly at Javad. Roy placed his hands on his desk and began to tap it, thinking of how to start the conversation. Javad was slightly unnerved by Roy's tapping, but he tried to make it less affecting. "Sir, as you know, I love Calida very much." Roy raised his eyebrow and clasped his hands together as he leaned back in his chair.

"Are you fixing to ask me for her hand in marriage?" Javad blinked and became confident, he couldn't lose confidence at such a time.

"Yes sir. I have asked her if she would marry me, and she has accepted. I believe I can take care of her, and I will never let any harm come to her. So please, sir, I would like to know if you would give your blessing."

"So, you say you can protect her, you can keep her safe from harm. You would never hurt my precious daughter, would you?"

"Never intentionally, sir…I've made a promise to protect her, I would never slack on my promises." Roy rubbed his chin and smirked.

"Yeah, and you know what would happen if you broke your promise and broke her heart, I'm sure." Roy quickly snapped his finger and a burst of flame shot in the air. During this moment, Roy and Javad held each other's gaze, neither gaze faltering or shifting.

"I know what would happen, but I would sooner do that to myself than to hurt her. I love Calida, sir. Nothing will change that. I have loved her for years, and I will continue loving her." Roy held his smirk and narrowed his eyes. He knew Javad would take care of Calida, there wasn't a doubt in his mind about that, but he did want to joke around a little.

"Ah, but alas, you're an Elric. Elrics and Mustangs haven't always gotten along." Javad closed his eyes and let out a sigh, he actually wondered about that.

"I am not my father, that is for sure. Calida and I, as you know, have gotten along for years. There was always a way to end fights. I know when I'm wrong, and if I make a mistake, I go straight to her and apologize."

_"Well, the Mustang-Elric thing was easily debunked."_ Riza stared at Roy and frowned, she knew what he was doing, and she couldn't say she was thrilled that he was giving Javad a tough time. "You _did_ leave her once, but we know you wouldn't do that again. Plus, you know the extent of what should happen if you were to break her heart by repeating that same mistake."

"Yes sir, I would accept whatever punishment necessary. I will make this promise to you, as I have and will make with Calida. I will _never_ stray from her side. I love her unconditionally, and nothing is going to change that. Nothing can stop that, and nothing will."

"What about your flirting ways?" Riza rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Roy Mustang, he hasn't even looked at another girl for the last five years, and you know that," Riza said while staring at Roy. Javad sat in silence as Roy looked toward Riza and chuckled lightly. "Don't give him a hard time. You and I both know he treats Calida well and she loves him."

"Right, right, I got it." Roy sighed and smiled as he looked toward Javad. "Okay, you have my blessing."

"Thank you, sir," Javad responded. He didn't want to overdo his excitement, but it was hard. He was screaming for joy on the inside. Both men stood up and shook each other's hands.

"Believe me when I say this, I never doubted you for a second." Riza chuckled and walked over to Javad, she gave him a hug and then stepped next to Roy.

"It's good to have you in the family," Riza said in a soft voice. "We believe you're right for Calida." Javad smiled and nodded his thanks. At that moment, Calida walked into the office, wondering what was going on. She stopped and stared at the three, knowing full well what must have happened. Javad turned to her and smiled as he walked over to her. She gazed into his eyes and slightly tilted her head.

"We have their blessing, Calida," Javad said while grinning. Calida's eyes brightened at the statement. She was ecstatic to hear the news.

"That's great!" Calida said in a quick voice. She wrapped her arms around Javad's neck and he wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her close. Roy and Riza stepped next to the two and smiled at them, grateful that all seemed well at the moment. Calida let go of Javad and faced her parents, she smiled and quickly hugged them both. "Thank you so much!"

"Well, I'm glad you're happy," Roy said while smiling at his daughter. "Anyway, let's discuss the wedding." Calida and Javad nodded and everyone left the office, in order to discuss the wedding in a more comfortable environment.

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Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Heh, Roy enjoys giving Javad a hard time.


	50. Pleading for Death

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Thoughts in _italics_, Speech in regular. This chapter will start off with just a little prior to the fight.

* * *

Chapter 50 (Pleading for Death)

Javad and Ed were once more at the park, Winry and Megan were in the restroom, so the boys were walking through the park in order to kill the time. Not far from the restroom, near the start of the hiking trail they had been on before, Ed thought he saw two familiar people sitting near a creek. He narrowed his eyes and managed to make out who the people were, his eyes widened and Javad looked over at him with concern.

"What is it?" Javad asked in a questioning voice.

"Caldor and Pride are over there," Ed responded. Javad raised his eyebrow and took a moment to register what his father had just said. It was about time for them to find the homunculi anyway, and it looked to him like he had just found them, well Ed found them.

"What!"

"Wait a second…" Ed placed his hand on Javad's shoulder and felt him shaking, rage was slowly starting to build up inside. Ed sighed and looked at Caldor and Pride, they looked different. "They don't look like homunculi, Javad. Their hair is normal color, and it looks like Caldor is upset, he's…crying?"

"Hah, I could perhaps give him something to cry about." Ed raised his eyebrow and Javad quickly shrugged off his hand.

"Javad, hold on a second!" Javad ignored his father and quickly walked toward Caldor and Pride, Ed sighed and followed after him. His eyes widened when he saw Javad transmute his guns. _"Son, haven't you learned anything? Try and control your anger toward him, if you can."_ Javad and Ed were making sure they weren't noticed too easily, but then neither King nor Caldor saw them coming.

"I don't know how much more of this I can take," Caldor said while letting out a groan. "Even _still_, every night I go to sleep, only to dream nightmares. I hate myself so much, why the hell do I even continue living?" King sighed and placed his hand on Caldor's shoulder. Javad stopped walking toward them and stared at Caldor, his eyebrow was raised and his eyes were widening. Ed stepped next to Javad and frowned, wondering what it was that Javad had stopped for. "I know I'm not under her control, and I'm surprised and glad Cal hasn't done anything more…"

"Yeah, they lost Blaze a few months ago," King said with a subtle smirk. Caldor smiled at that and nodded his head, he was pleased with that. "I know you would rather Cal die, Cal and Hecate are the real villains here. Just remember, it was Cal that did it, not you. I know you're having these nightmares, but you can't let them rule you."

"I want to die! Okay? I want to die, that's the only way I can gain freedom…"

"No Caldor, you can't die, you're needed in this world. Someone out there needs you as well." Caldor frowned and shook his head, he didn't believe there was anyone that needed him. "The only way these nightmares will leave is for you to face them, wherever Hecate is, we'll take her down."

"Damn it, I don't see how that will help. I just wish I could find Javad so he could go ahead and kill me." Caldor heard the clicking of a gun and his eyes widened. King and Caldor turned around to see Javad glaring at them.

"I'm right here," Javad stated while frowning. King's mouth fell open slightly and Javad's eyes narrowed. "So, you want to die? That's pretty odd, since you should be a first time homunculus, not a second time."

"N-No, we're not homunculi anymore," King said while quickly standing up. "We found the philosopher's stone and my son was able to use his alchemy, he turned me human and expelled himself from his homunculus." Javad's eyes widened when he realized what King was saying, he knew the homunculus would be worse, since the human was probably the one that stopped Caldor. That's what Megan said, during her encounter, he stopped himself from killing her and left.

"Y-You _idiot_, the homunculus is the one that raped Calida! With you gone, he won't have any hesitation!" Caldor winced at the words and King merely glanced at him.

"I know, but I didn't want him turning me human just to set me free. The next time you see Cal, he'll have green hair." Ed raised his eyebrow and King let out a small sigh. "Envy, Gluttony, and Wrath were all transmuted, so they wound up clinging to the gate until another human transmutation was performed. Envy happened to cling to my son. Now, it's just Envy and Cal, since Caldor is free."

"You're telling me Envy is still alive?" Ed asked while narrowing his eyes. "What the _hell!_" Javad saw Caldor eyeing his weapon with longing and desire, the desire to die. Javad saw that Caldor was different than when he was a homunculus, and true Caldor was living with guilt, but he couldn't kill him. When he looked at Caldor, he thought he saw a face reminiscent of Leo, the man that raped his mother. Caldor's body shook and he slowly fell to his knees, watching as Javad lowered his gun and glanced to the side.

"What are you doing?" Caldor asked. King and Ed glanced at their respective sons, both knowing what was about to happen, and both knowing they shouldn't interfere unless it was absolutely necessary. "Kill me, kill me now!" Javad quickly glanced over at Caldor and narrowed his eyes as he stared into Caldor's eyes. "Please, I know you want to. It's best if you kill me, Javad. We used to be best friends, but now I'm nothing. I don't deserve to live, for raping a best friend and ruining you two."

"We're fine, we're going to get married in December," Javad said while holding his gun to his side. "Don't cry…you look pathetic." Caldor did not change his look, he stayed persistent. Javad raised his eyebrow as Caldor clenched his teeth. "Besides, it was your homunculus."

"You hate me, I know you do!" Javad thought for a moment, he knew he had to remain calm. He had hoped this moment would never come, he hoped he would never have to see his former best friend pleading for him to take his life. "You're the only one I can trust to take my life, I know you want to, and I want you to! Spare me from this pain I feel, this guilt, this malice, I hate it all." Javad narrowed his eyes and his jaw grew firm as he continued to gaze toward Caldor.

Behind them, Megan and Winry showed up, they had been looking for the boys. The girls stopped and stared at the scene with wide eyes. Javad closed his eyes and shrugged. "I hate the one who raped Calida. You're human, and you're not at fault. The one that raped her was the homunculus, indirectly, it was Hecate. She's the one that ordered and controlled what happened. I don't know how you found a philosopher's stone, though, my dad hid that really well."

"It was a hard search, but that's not important right now. What's important is I don't deserve to live, I want you to take my life, right now! Damn it, just do it!" Caldor made a grab for Javad's gun. Javad let out a small shout and lifted his hand up, pulling the gun out of Caldor's reach. "Please, just shoot me!" Javad rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over, he couldn't find the capability to kill him.

"I kill you, then I'm a murderer. My dad taught me that sometime, I can't kill for revenge or anger, or else I pull myself to the same level."

"You _wouldn't_ be a murderer! You'd be doing the right thing, you would be removing a rapist from this earth. You'd also be doing me a favor by taking my life and ridding me of these horrible nightmares that I keep having." Javad bared his teeth and grinned at the statement.

"I don't see doing you a favor in my list of things to do. The only thing I plan to do marry Calida and take care of her, not kill you. I have no reason to take your life right now, I already said you're not a rapist."

"But I am! I am a rapist, I raped my best friend and I hate myself for it. You were my other best friend, that means you are the one I can trust to kill me, especially since the one I hurt happens to be the one you love!"

"Oh shut up, how do you think Calida would feel if I killed you? She would feel guilty that I had to kill someone just because of her…It's not you I need to kill anyway, it's this Cal guy."

"Just kill me."

"No."

"Why the hell not, kill me!"

"No."

"I'm a rapist, a murderer, I've made Calida fear people, I've hurt both of you and your families, kill me!" Javad sighed and closed his eyes, remembering his father's conversation with Leo, and thinking about how similar the situation was.

"No…"

"Javad, please, I don't want to take this grief anymore!"

"No!"

"Damn it!" Caldor fell forward and placed his hands on the ground, he rubbed his fingers through the dirt and his body began to shake. Everyone was silent, waiting to see what would happen next. King, Ed, Winry, and Megan all watched with interest. Javad unfolded his hands and lowered them to his side. Caldor's tears fell to the ground, and his voice came out in a quiet manner. "I'm a rapist. I'm a monster. You should be able to kill me, you should have to kill me. I don't see why you don't want to. I know you hate me, I know Calida hates me, she fears me. So answer me this, Javad." Caldor closed his eyes and shouted out. "WHY WON'T YOU KILL ME!" Javad huffed and narrowed his eyes, he lifted the gun in his hand and aimed it toward Caldor. He shifted the gun to the side and fired the gunshot past Caldor's head.

Megan let out a gasp and covered her mouth when Javad shot at Caldor. Caldor's eyes shot open and widened. Had Javad missed? He had to check to see if he was honestly still living. King, Ed, Megan, and Winry all stared in shock at the scene. Javad's eyes were narrow as his gun pointed toward where Caldor stood. Caldor's eyes stared at the ground in shock, he was half expecting Javad to shoot again. Javad growled slightly and the gun in his hand vanished. He quickly kicked Caldor, knocking him to the side.

"Ah!" Caldor grabbed his arm and stared up at Javad. He saw Javad's eyes filled with various emotions, one of which was anger.

"You sound pathetic, like a broken record player!" Javad exclaimed. Caldor winced slightly at the words and watched as Javad crossed his arms. "Look to your right, there's your father, am I correct? He's getting old, he needs someone to care for him."

"Yeah…"

"Who the hell will do that if you were to die? If you want to die so badly, then I'd gladly grant it, if I were a _murderer._ You have people who want you alive, even one person is more than enough of a reason to stay alive! Your father needs you, so why should I kill you? I'd be a murderer. Do you know what a murderer is? It's not just someone who kill out of hatred or revenge, it's also someone that ends a person's life and takes that person away from those who love that person and need him. Can you name me at least one person that needs you alive? Any one person, just any at all, tell me who it is."

"My dad…"

"Right, at least you still can use some logic." Javad's lips curled into a tiny smile as he crossed his arms. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't I hear you say you wanted to take down Hecate? If you hate Hecate so much, then how about you beat her, she's the one who really needs to be brought down. Unfortunately, we can't find her, but oh well. I swear, if you ask me one more time to kill you, then I may just flip out. Killing someone like you, someone who is perfectly innocent in my eyes, that's murder. I am not a murderer, so in turn, I refuse to kill you."

"What if I lose control again? What if I'm forced to do something wrong again? What if I were to hurt Calida again?" Javad rolled his eyes and rubbed his forehead.

"Look, you're not a homunculus, there's no way you're going to lose control of your conscience. If you're not really evil, I'm sure you won't do anything to hurt Calida. Now if you were to do something to hurt Calida, then we'd have a problem." Javad stared into Caldor's eyes with a fierce look in his eyes, he knew that he wasn't going to kill Caldor. "Your life, what you do with it, from here it is in _your_ hands. You control your fate, you control the path you go. I'm not about to make that choice to end your life, that's your own decision."

"Yeah, but…"

"No buts, Caldor. You're _free_ now, you don't have to live in guilt if you don't want to. You can control those nightmares you've been having. No one else can tell you what to do, or what path you should take. If you're looking for reconciliation, then you can find that through your own path. Death isn't going to bring it. I can tell you one thing, as I've mentioned, I don't hate you."

"What?" Caldor raised his eyebrow and Javad folded his arms over his chest.

"I don't hate you, I can't hate someone who used to be my best friend. Though, I do hate the homunculus that hurt Calida. Apparently, this homunculus has your body, and your face. I can say that I forgive you for letting Hecate control you, and Calida would too. However, Calida probably will never be able to look at your face without…feeling very sick."

"I know."

"Hate yourself all you want, but sooner or later you're going to have to realize, self pity gets you nowhere. What's done is done, there's nothing we can do to change the past, as much as we want to. We can only learn from the past and brace ourselves for the future. You have legs, I suggest you use them. Move forward, Caldor. Don't stay and wallow in self pity, looking for death or whatever. Get stronger, get up, move, and bring down the one that caused all this trouble in the first place. I'll kill Cal, but I leave Hecate to you." Javad closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh. "So, I leave you with these words. At least until Hecate is dead, you _better_ stay alive!"

"Yeah, I guess I can do that." Javad shrugged and turned around, he'd had enough of looking at Caldor, and was ready to leave. Ed looked from Caldor to King, and then back at Javad. He turned around and walked with Javad toward the girls. With that, the family left Caldor and King to themselves, denying Caldor the taste of death.

"You've grown a lot," Ed said in a quiet voice. Javad shrugged and closed his eyes, he didn't even want to think about what happened anymore. He wasn't sure what to think anyway, knowing Caldor wasn't a homunculus any longer. He knew it would take a lot of therapy for Caldor to get over it all, and at the same time, Calida would probably never look to Caldor again.

* * *

Well, Javad didn't kill him. It was the lesson that Ed taught him with Leo, apparently he has a heart. Well, stick around for the next chapter. There are a few left.


	51. Forgiven

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Thoughts in _italics_, Speech in regular. This chapter will start off with just a little prior to the fight.

* * *

Chapter 51 (Forgiven)

Calida sat in her living room with Roy and Riza, they were all discussing the wedding that would be coming up soon. Sapphire was lying in Calida's lap, letting the girl pet her, and enjoying the life of a spoiled cat. "Sapphire's going to probably be our first pet," Calida said with a slight chuckle. Sapphire purred and looked up at Calida at the mention of her name. Calida smiled at the cat and looked up. "I can remember when Javad got her for me; she really did help me out."

Sapphire mewed and put her paws up on Calida's chest. Calida looked down and laughed lightly as the cat stared intently at her, almost wondering what on earth Calida was talking about her for. Roy and Riza both smiled at the sight and let out a sigh. They had many conflicting emotions about the wedding coming up, but no one wanted to stop it, because it would be the greatest moment of everyone's lives.

"You have to wonder who Javad intends to pick for the best man and the groomsman," Riza said while rubbing her chin. Calida and Roy both nodded, they didn't have a clue who those two would be. Javad had a lot of friends, but none of the guy friends he had were very close to him to begin with. They knew Calida wanted Megan to be her Matron of Honor. "Actually, isn't there going to be just the Best Man and the Matron of Honor?" Calida nodded in response, there wasn't much need for the Groomsman or the Bridesmaid. The mother of the bride would be sitting in the front row with the father of the bride.

"He may just choose his father as the best man," Roy said with a brief shrug. It would have been appropriate, there was no reason why Javad would not choose Ed. "I suppose we'll just have to see what happens, and how the planning goes." He looked over at Riza and chuckled lightly, both Riza and Winry were helping Calida to plan the wedding. A rapid knock was heard on the front door; Roy looked over and stood up. "I wonder who that is…I'll go check." Roy walked over and opened the door, Javad looked at him and Roy raised his eyebrow. "Javad, what brings you here?"

"I need to talk with Calida," Javad said in a quiet voice. "It might be good for you to be here too." Roy raised his eyebrow and gestured for Javad to enter. Upon entering, Sapphire jumped from Calida and hurried over to Javad, begging to be picked up. Javad chuckled and carefully picked up the cat. "Sapphire, you're five years old but you still act like a kitten." Sapphire mewed and Javad hugged her close to his chest as he walked over to Calida.

"Javad, what's going on?" Calida asked. She had a worried tone in her voice, hoping it was nothing too serious. Roy sat down next to Riza and looked over at Javad, also hoping there was nothing too horrible happening. Javad sighed and let Sapphire curl up in his lap. He turned to Calida and gazed into her eyes, wondering how he was going to bring up the subject he knew needed to be said. He was going to tell Calida about Caldor, and he was wondering how she would take the news.

"Calida, the other day, Dad and I were walking in the park…" Javad sighed and placed his hand on Calida's. "We met Caldor and his father while there." Calida's eyes widened and her parents remained silent. They weren't sure what to say, and Calida looked almost fearful of what happened.

"O-Okay, so what, you met Caldor, what's the big deal?" Calida didn't really want to talk about Caldor, but she knew it had to be done.

"He was begging me to kill him." Calida raised her eyebrow and her parents looked baffled. Nobody had any clue how a homunculus would be begging anyone to kill them, so they waited for Javad to explain. "He and his father were no longer homunculi. I think they found the philosopher's stone my dad had hidden and used it to turn King into a human, while Caldor split from his homunculus."

"I see…" Calida had tears in her eyes, she was struggling with the possibility of flashbacks. She knew she had to fight them; she didn't want to have any at the moment.

"Stop me if talking about him is too much, okay?" Calida shook her head and Javad raised his eyebrow.

"No, this will be fine, it's best that I know what happened…" Javad slowly nodded his head and closed his eyes.

"Well, it appears that his homunculus is named 'Cal.'"

"That's the one that did it; he's the one that really…" Calida closed her eyes and a small whimper escaped her lips.

"I know, Calida, I know." Javad hugged Calida and ran his hand through her hair. "Caldor was under control of his homunculus, but he feels guilty and blames himself. That's why he wanted me to kill him."

"So, what did you do to him?"

"I couldn't bring myself to do it; I would have been a murderer." Calida looked up at Javad and smiled, pleased that he chose not to kill Caldor. At the same time, she wished Caldor didn't feel so guilty.

"I don't blame him, I don't blame Caldor for what happened. I don't know if I'll ever be able to talk to him about it, though."

"I wouldn't force you to. I don't know if he'll ever get help or anything, but something tells me his father's keeping him alive." Calida tilted her head slightly and then slowly glanced downward.

"Oh, well he shouldn't have to die…" Sapphire glanced up and moved over to Calida's lap, where she felt she was needed. Calida smiled softly and placed her hand on Sapphire's back, grateful to have the cat with her. She looked over at Riza and slowly wiped a tear from her eye. "Mom, would you get us some water, please?" Riza nodded and walked into the kitchen. Calida wasn't sure what to say about Caldor, all she knew was the flashbacks were still coming. Calida closed her eyes and moaned, the flashbacks were already starting to move about in her head. "Help…" Sapphire mewed and once more stood up and placed her paws on Calida's chest. Javad squeezed Calida's hand and spoke softly to her.

"It's okay, Calida, we're here." Sapphire started to lick Calida's chin and Roy stood up, wondering if there was anything he could do. Riza walked back into the room with a few glasses of water, she placed the tray on the coffee table and took a look at Calida. Her eyes grew wide and Roy placed his hand on Riza's shoulder. "You're going to be okay, Cali. It's just me, your mom and dad are here also…" Calida let out another whimper and tears started falling at a faster pace from her eyes.

Sapphire didn't let a single tear fall past the chin, with each tear, the cat quickly licked it away. The sensation tickled Calida, and helped to pull her away from the flashback. "Look at that," Javad said with a slight smirk. "Even Sapphire wants to take care of you." Calida started to giggle as Javad rubbed her arm and Sapphire licked her face. "Your mom brought you some water, would you like a drink." Calida slowly opened her eyes and looked around, seeing that she was truly safe.

"Yes…" Javad smiled and picked up a glass, he brought it to Calida's lips and tilted it slightly. Calida normally would have made a remark about him doing such a thing, when she was perfectly capable of it, but at the moment she could care less. Sapphire placed her front paws back on Calida's lap and watched as her master drank the liquid. It tasted sweet to her, and it seemed to loosen her tightened throat. She closed her eyes and Javad set the water back on the table. "Thank you, Javad…" Calida looked at Sapphire and smiled softly at the cat. "You too, Sapphire…" Sapphire mewed and curled back into a ball.

"Are you okay, Calida?" Riza asked as she sat next to her daughter. She had tears in her eyes as well, she was glad that Calida was through with the flashback. Roy was as well. He walked over to the couch and gave her a worried and concerned look.

"I'm fine now, you don't have to be so worried." Roy smiled and gave his daughter a hug, Riza did the same. Calida sighed and looked over at Javad, she was still concerned with how Caldor would be faring. "I don't want Caldor to feel so bad, he should know it was his homunculus, and I don't have anything against him."

"Yeah, I did tell him that I thought you wouldn't have anything against him."

"You don't hate him, either, do you?" Javad shifted his eyes to the side for a second and then back to Calida.

"No, I hate Cal, but I don't hate Caldor. He apparently hates himself, and probably will for a long time…" Calida frowned and furrowed her brow, she wanted Caldor to know that things would be okay. She didn't hate him, she couldn't hate him. After all, he had been her best friend at one point of time.

"Couldn't someone tell him that he doesn't need to be afraid anymore? I don't hate him. I can't bring myself to see him, I just don't think I'm that strong. It's only because when the homunculus raped me, he looked exactly like him. Other than that, it wasn't…it wasn't his fault. It was Hecate's fault. Hecate's the one that forced him to do it, she's the one that caused him to lose his mind…I know that if he had proper thinking, he would never have hurt me."

Javad thought for a moment and nodded in agreement, he remembered Caldor from years before the man turned into a homunculus. When they were best friends, Caldor had always been loyal and strong. He would never have hurt his best friends, he refused to even harm a mere insect. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'll find him and talk to him…" Calida looked at Javad and frowned, she didn't really want Freddie to worry about it.

"Hold on a moment," Roy said while he crossed his arms over. "You don't need to deal with it, you should focus on what's coming up in the future and staying with Calida." Javad thought for another minute and sighed.

"If you think about it, Caldor wants reconciliation. If I go and tell him that Calida doesn't feel any resentment toward him, rather than Cal and Hecate, then it would help. Simply because he would know that both Calida and I feel there is nothing wrong with _him._ I know Calida can't go and tell him…"

"I can't even think about him without remembering Cal…" Calida felt her stomach churn she let out a small moan. Javad quickly took the glass of water and handed it to Calida, she took it in her hand and started to drink. "Thank you." Calida set the drink back on the table and looked at Roy. "Dad, I want you to go and talk to Caldor, and Javad should go with you." She knew that if Caldor wanted forgiveness, Roy would be able to take her place.

"Are you sure?" Roy asked while giving Calida a concerned look. Calida nodded and Roy let out a small sigh. "Okay, we'll figure out where he lives and talk to him…"

-NEW SCENE-

Roy and Javad made their way to the home of King and Caldor Bradley, someone was able to tell them where he lived. Roy shifted his eyes to Javad and saw that he appeared to be struggling with something. "Are you going to be okay, Javad?" Roy asked as he knocked on the front door. Javad looked up and nodded, he was only dealing with remembering the memory of what happened years prior. He was angry with Cal, and was trying to push down his disgust and anger toward Caldor. "Here's a good way to think of it. Think of it as twins, one twin is evil and the other is entirely innocent."

"Twins, you say? Caldor's the good twin, I guess it makes sense," Javad said while crossing his arms. "The only difference is one has green hair and the other has brown hair."

"Right, and you know, I do remember seeing a flash of green in his hair five years ago," Roy said while crossing his arms over. Javad chuckled and slowly shook his head, it made a little sense, but it didn't make it entirely better. The front door opened and King stared at Roy and Javad with surprise.

"Fuhrer Mustang, Javad, how are you?" King asked while opening his door all the way. Roy slowly closed his hand and released, he actually had slight difficulty with King. It was similar to Javad's discomfort with Caldor. "Uh, would you like to come in?" King gestured for them to enter. Roy and Javad nodded and walked inside and sat down on a couch. "I'm guessing you want to talk to Caldor, I'll go get him." King walked into another hallway to retrieve Caldor. Roy and Javad waited in silence for a few minutes until King and Caldor walked back into the room. It looked like Caldor had been sleeping just moments ago.

Caldor took one look at Javad and started to freeze up, wondering what Javad would want. He had been shocked that Javad hadn't wanted to kill him before, when in his memories, Javad had always been so hateful toward him. King placed his hand on Caldor's shoulder and the two sat down in a couple nearby chairs. Caldor gulped slightly as Javad stared into his eyes. "I-I'm not going to ask that you kill me," Caldor said while trying to hide the shakiness of his voice. Javad shrugged and folded his arms over his chest.

"That's fine by me," Javad stated. "I wouldn't kill you anyway. Besides, you're stronger if you live, rather than to die." Roy nodded and looked at Caldor, unsure of where to start.

"Calida was unable to come," Roy said in a quiet voice. At the mention of Calida's name, Caldor froze up. He closed his eyes and growled, he hated himself for what had happened. "I've come with Javad to let you know that she's not angry with you, Caldor." Caldor opened his eyes and raised his eyebrow, the statement was a shock to him. "That's what she said, but she did say that because you look like Cal, she can't look at you without remembering. That's why she sent me, to represent her…" Caldor's hands shook slightly and Javad merely nodded.

"Calida and I both agree that you are not guilty," Javad said in a calm voice. Caldor shook slightly and a tear started to leave his eye. "We know you're struggling hard under the guilt that you feel, but we want you to know that you do not need to feel guilty. I'll handle Cal, and you can handle Hecate, since that might be the best thing for you to do."

"She doesn't hate me? I would have thought both of you would hate me."

"My daughter doesn't hate you," Roy said while staring at Caldor. He had to remain calm, he knew if he looked angry, that would be a problem. Of course, he wasn't angry with Caldor, he was angry with Cal, he hated Hecate. "Riza and I are not angry with you, either. In fact, we're angrier with Cal and with Hecate than anything. My family, and Javad's family wish to extend our sentiments to you. If you're looking for reconciliation with us, then you have it."

"Exactly," Javad said while nodding in agreement. "You are forgiven pretty much, we are _not_ bothered with you, and we will not hold you to the rape committed by Cal and indirectly committed by Hecate." Caldor took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, he personally felt like a huge weight was being lifted from his chest. There was still a feeling of dread, though. He felt a buildup of rage, the rage was geared toward Hecate. His fists clenched and he let a small growl escape his throat.

"Hecate…I want her dead," Caldor said while narrowing his eyes. Javad and Roy glanced at each other and back to Caldor. King patted Caldor's back and let out a sigh. "Dad, I'm ready to start training and using my alchemy again. I'm going to use it to bring Hecate to her knees, and teach her a lesson for using me as a vessel for her damned plans."

"If that's what you want, then okay," King responded. He looked over at Roy and frowned. "Uh, Fuhrer Mustang…" Roy looked at King and smiled at him, he had a feeling King was wondering about his past as well.

"You don't have to worry about yourself, either," Roy stated. "You have a son to take care of, and you're definitely not guilty of anything. Again it's just a crime committed by a homunculus." King smiled and nodded at Roy.

"Thank you...you're doing a good job with the country..." Roy smiled and nodded in thanks. Caldor looked from King and over at Javad and Roy, he sighed and his lips curled into a small smile.

"Thanks," Caldor said while slowly standing up. Javad stood up and the older men followed the action. Javad extended his hand and Caldor stared at it. Javad smirked and Caldor, understanding the gesture, extended his hand and shook Javad's hand. "Tell Calida, that I am sorry for what happened, and I intend to destroy the real person behind this, Hecate herself."

"Hm, you think you can handle her?" Javad asked while crossing his arms. He smirked and Caldor shifted his eyes to the side.

"I've been trapped under her control for years, so I know her attacks and everything. She's a Shadow Alchemist, so that means she specializes in what is my polar opposite. I'm a light alchemist, so there shouldn't be any problems…"

"Light alchemy is actually not the greatest," Roy said while rubbing his chin. He knew the light alchemy was more defensive than offensive. "If you're looking for fighting Hecate, then you're going to have some trouble. Shadow Alchemy is the offensive one, Light Alchemy is only defensive."

"Yeah, I know…but I can use basic alchemy, though it's probably not as good on Hecate as it would be on others. I will say this, Hecate had not been expecting there to be zero human transmutations performed in the last few years."

"Those aren't performed too often, since there aren't that many alchemists around these days. Usually the alchemists go into the military and know better than to perform a human transmutation." Roy smirked and glanced at Javad. "Unless the alchemist is young and stupid…" Javad's eyes widened and he glared at Roy. Roy laughed and patted Javad's back. "No worries there, Javad. I'm talking about your father after all."

"Whatever," Javad responded while rolling his eyes. He lifted his hand and a gun appeared, he then took one of his alchemy gloves off and placed it on the gun. "Caldor, you probably know this, but I don't need transmutation circles because I have seen the gate. I want to give you this glove and the gun, and I want you to study it well."

"What? Why?" Caldor asked while raising his eyebrow. Javad sighed and placed the gun in Caldor's hand.

"So you can learn that special alchemy skill. You should be able to learn it in a few months, some of it…" Roy nodded and remembered something that he'd forgotten.

"Calida wanted you to have this," Roy said while reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a red glove, it had a fire emblem on it. "She has a lot of gloves, but she usually uses the black ones. Those are the ones for her multi elemental alchemy. This glove is flame alchemy, you should learn this as well." Caldor took the glove and raised his eyebrow, he would need a mentor in order to learn these things.

"Thanks, but I need teachers, and I don't know where to find any," Caldor said while holding the gloves and the gun. Javad and Roy crossed their arms and smirked as Caldor stared at them, his face begun to pale. "You two aren't planning on…"

"We'll teach you everything we know about the alchemy," Javad said while grinning. "Since we know you have seen the gate, you can perform alchemy without transmutation circles. That means you can use the Flame Alchemy and the Hellshooter Alchemy at the same time. Consider it a gift from me as well as Calida."

"Okay, but how long will it take to learn these?"

"It shouldn't be long for you to learn the basics of either alchemy," Roy said while giving a brief nod. "That's what's important. I think it'll be a couple months, maybe."

"Okay…when do we start then?" Javad smirked and patted Caldor's shoulder.

"Immediately," Javad answered. "Most likely this upcoming Friday will work. I'm sure you're up to it, though." Caldor glanced at the gloves and nodded, he accepted the presents from Calida and Javad, and knew he'd give his all to learn the skills and defeat Hecate.

* * *

So, Caldor has been forgiven, and he intends to destroy Hecate. Javad and Roy are so nice...I hope you liked the chapter.


	52. Cal's Death

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Thoughts in _italics_, Speech in regular. This chapter will start off with just a little prior to the fight.

* * *

Chapter 52 (Cal's Death)

Over time, the group found where the hideout of the homunculi was. It was underneath the arena where the State Alchemists earned their badges. Ed, Calida, and Javad were the ones who were supposed to take out the homunculi. Calida did tell them that she could manage to go there, though she hated the arena. "Are you absolutely sure you want to go here?" Javad asked as the trio grew close to the arena.

"Yes, I'm fine," Calida said while shifting her eyes over. "I just have to go underneath it, and I'll be fine." Calida took a deep breath and Javad glanced over at his father with a worried look. Ed's expression mirrored his own. "You don't have to be so worried, we're only going down to confirm this is their hideout, right? Even though Caldor wants to fight Hecate, he can't do it if we don't know this is it." Javad let out a sigh and nodded his head in response. He was going to protect Calida no matter what. "Besides, when this is all over, we should be happy. I mean, there's a month before our wedding…"

"Yeah, but I just want to make sure you're going to be okay." Javad knew Caldor was waiting somewhere else near the arena. When given the signal that the arena was indeed the hideout, he would go in and take down Hecate. He didn't walk with Javad, Calida and Ed only because Calida couldn't bear to look at him and he still felt sick whenever he looked at her. _"Of course, it'll still take Caldor a long time before he ever can really get over it. Him fighting Hecate will actually help."_

Javad thought about what would happen if Cal showed up. It was a worst case scenario, the guy was probably a creep, and he didn't have a human soul to hold him back from doing serious damage. His eyes widened in horror as he thought of Cal attacking Calida again. His mind pulled back the image he had seen years ago, of the homunculus raping Calida and Calida pleading for help. Javad's hands clenched up and he stopped walking. Calida and Ed turned and looked at him with concerned. "Calida, if Cal is to show up, I want you to make a run for it. Do you understand? Don't stick around."

"Javad…" Javad placed his hands on Calida's arms and looked seriously into her eyes.

"Cal is no longer part of Caldor, he is the homunculus that doesn't have that human soul to hold him back. I don't know what he could do to you, and I don't really want to find out."

"He won't-"

"At least try and stay away from him, don't try to fight him. I don't want to see what he could do to you…" Calida let out a sigh and closed her eyes, she knew that when Javad was this concerned, there was no talking him out of the concerned.

"Okay, fine then, I'll stay away from him." A clapping sound came from behind them. They saw Cal leaning against a wall, the wall belonged to the same restroom where Calida had been raped. Javad turned toward Cal and growled, Calida felt herself starting to freeze up. She shook her head and tried to fight the flashbacks that were coming. Cal grinned and took a step forward.

"Ah Calida, babe, how are you?" Cal asked. Calida gasped at Cal's voice and let a small whimper escape her lips. "You're looking quite sexy today, you know that? Look at those luscious lips, and that good body. Hecate has need for that body, she has need for you. Though, I want to feel it one last time, maybe even more." Calida started to feel nauseous, she couldn't stand what he was saying. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way, and I think you know what the _hard_ way is." Javad shifted his eyes to Calida and back to Cal. He narrowed his eyes and stepped in front of Calida.

"Shut your goddamn mouth," Javad said while letting out a low growl. "You hear me, Cal? You better shut that F-ing mouth before I shut it myself."(A/N: Javad actually says the full F word, but I didn't feel like typing it) Cal seemed to ignore Javad's words and smirked, continuing to talk to Calida.

"Come now, the fact that Envy doesn't want me to rape anyone makes it harder to do this. So I have to say, it'd be best if you just come with me. Hecate's waiting in the hideout, its just inside the bathroom right here. There's a hidden door in one of the stalls, but I won't let anyone but you go into there." Calida whimpered once more and tears started to leave her eyes, Javad growled and clenched his fists harder. Rage was starting to build up inside of him, he was getting fed up with Cal by now.

"Shut the hell up!"

"I'm not talking to you."

"Damn it, I don't care!" Javad quickly transmuted his guns, he found that would be better than the trident. He aimed the guns toward Cal and fired off the bullets, Cal immediately leapt to the side and dodged the shots. "Calida get out of here, away from this sick bastard." Calida shook her head, she didn't want to leave Javad, and she was too scared to try and flee the scene.

"Come on Calida, Hecate's waiting for you!" Calida put her hand to her mouth, feeling like bile was shooting up her throat. Her chest heaved and her eyes were wide with fear and horror. She was starting to regret her decision to come along. Javad looked at her and frowned, she needed to get out of that area. "Aw, what's wrong there, gorgeous? Are you having some trouble making a decision? I guess I'll just have to take you by force. Don't worry, I'll make sure it won't hurt." Calida took a step back and shook with fear and horror, Javad growled and fired another shot at Cal.

"Dad, get Calida out of here!" Ed nodded and walked over to Calida, he placed his hand on her arm and slowly rubbed her back.

"Come on Calida, we have to get you out of here," Ed said in a calm voice. He soothed Calida and she looked at him, understanding that she wasn't going to fare well if she did stay. Cal stared at her and smirked, obvious he wasn't finished just yet. As Ed led her away, he shouted one last thing.

"Are you thirsty?" Cal asked while grinning evilly. "If you are, I got something for you to drink, right here!" Cal pointed downward and Calida let out a choked sob. Ed put his arm around Calida's shoulders and quickly led her away as she brought her hands up to her face.

"Damn you, bastard!" Javad exclaimed as he charged toward Cal. He transmuted his trident in his left hand and kept his gun in his right. Cal raised his eyebrow and watched as Javad slashed the trident toward him. He then leapt to the side and smirked as he started to lift his leg and kick Javad. He was stopped by a gunshot to the back, it flew out of his chest and past Javad's head. His eyes widened and he turned around to see Caldor glaring at him.

"Bastard, how dare you use my body to put fear into someone I care about," Caldor said with narrow eyes. "Don't talk to her like that, either. Not while you look like me…or anyone else for that matter."

"What the hell, where did you come from?" Cal asked while narrowing his eyes and sealing the holes. Caldor shrugged and looked over at the bathroom, he turned his head and glared at Cal.

"I was hiding out somewhere around this building." Cal noticed the two different gloves on Caldor's hands and raised his eyebrow. Caldor noticed him looking and smirked. "Yeah, I've learned a couple new tricks. The better to kill you with, I say." Caldor lifted up the red glove and snapped his fingers, sending a burst of flame toward Cal.

"Holy crap!" Cal leapt out of the way, only to be shot in the arm by Caldor's gun. Javad shot his gun and hit Cal in the neck. "Damn you!"

"You sure took your time," Javad said as he stepped next to Caldor.

"Well I'm sorry, but it's kind of hard for me to be around this area," Caldor responded as he aimed his gun toward Cal.

"Right, I understand, I'm sorry." Javad glared at Cal and lifted his trident, he wasn't about to let the homunculus try anything. "As for you, I hate you, and I'm going to kill you." Javad thrust his trident toward Cal and pierced the man in the chest and pinned him to the wall.

"What the hell!" Cal shouted. He growled and struggled to move, but he couldn't, Javad and Caldor had him right where they wanted him.

"You're going to get what you deserve." Javad lifted his two guns and Caldor aimed his gun toward Cal.

"This is for what you've done to Calida, bastard," Caldor stated as he narrowed his eyes and glared at Cal. Both men began to fire their guns, blowing enormous holes in the wall and on Cal's body. Cal let out a loud yell as he felt chunks of his flesh ripping off of him and exploding with the bullets.

"Okay Caldor, flame him now!" Caldor nodded and snapped his fingers repeatedly. Several fireballs appeared around Cal. Cal looked up and let out a moan, his eyes widened when he saw all the fireballs surrounding him.

"CRAP!" Caldor snapped his fingers once more and all of the fire collided into Cal, igniting him on fire like a human torch. Cal let out a scream of agony and pain as his body began to split. Caldor and Javad watched in confusion, wondering what was happening with Cal this time. Soon, a man with long, green hair emerged and leapt from Cal's body.

"It's Envy…" Caldor growled and Envy stared at the two with malice filled eyes.

"Oh, that's Envy?" Javad asked while raising his eyebrow. Envy smirked and started to walk toward the two men, he did not see King sneaking up behind him.

"Well, well, if it isn't the Fullmetal Shrimp's _son_," Envy said while crossing his arms.

"You'd do your best to run," Caldor stated. He had a scowl on his face and his fingers were tightly pressed together. "You only have one life, so you'll die very easily now." Envy tilted his head back and started to laugh, but his laughter was soon cut short. He grunted with pain as he felt a long and sharp blade rush through his chest.

"D-Damn it all…"

"Sorry Envy, but it ends here," King said with narrow eyes. "We have to go take out Hecate, there's no time to screw around with you." Blood spilt from Envy's mouth as King pulled the blade back. Envy slowly turned and looked at King with shock, he the grunted and fell to the ground. "We win this fight…" Caldor and Javad nodded and looked over at Cal, the homunculus was literally blown to pieces and burnt beyond recognition. Adding insult to injury, Caldor fired a bullet into Cal's head, causing it to explode.

"Not bad, Caldor," Javad said in a quiet voice. He didn't mind seeing the sight, as gruesome as it was. In fact, he felt it was very appropriate for Calida's rapist. The three men watched in silence as the two homunculi turned to liquid. Javad placed his hand on Caldor's shoulder and looked over at him. "I have to go to Calida, can you and your father handle Hecate on your own?" Caldor looked at the bathroom and saw an image of Calida, pressed up against the wall. He could see himself glaring viciously into her wide and fearful eyes, and his hand moving on her body. The image made him want to vomit and die.

"Uh…" Caldor shook and tried to erase the vision from his mind. It only became worse, and he could hear Calida's screaming and cries for help. _"No, Hecate is in there, I have to face her. _She_ is the reason for this, and I have to face her in order to erase that image."_ Caldor's face turned serious and determined, nothing would stop him. He looked over at King, who was giving him a worried look. Caldor then looked over at Javad and gave a slight smile. "Yeah, I'm ready to fight her."

"Okay then, good luck Caldor." Javad quickly turned and ran off.

"Let's go, Dad." Caldor clenched his fists and King followed his son into the bathroom.

* * *

Wow, there was a lot of emotion put in to this chapter. I really hated Cal, and I feel bad for Caldor, having to live with those memories. At least Cal's dead, and next up we will see the fight with Hecate!


	53. Caldor's Reconciliation

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Thoughts in _italics_, Speech in regular. This chapter will start off with just a little prior to the fight.

* * *

Chapter 53 (Caldor's Reconciliation)

Caldor took a deep breath when he entered the bathroom, he could feel constant pressure hitting his body. He held his stomach and moaned, he felt like he would puke if he wasn't careful. "Dad, where is the secret door?" Caldor asked while standing in place. King looked over and frowned, he knew this had to be hard on Caldor, they would have to find the secret entrance as soon as possible.

"Cal did mention it being in a stall somewhere, I believe," King said while crossing his arms. Caldor nodded and took another deep breath as he tried to fight his memories. "You're going to be okay, right?" Caldor locked his jaw and nodded. He would be as okay as he could be, even though five years ago, he hid in this very place. He looked over at a urinal and froze up. He could remember the very conversation that had taken place many years ago with Hecate, and he hated that he had ever told Hecate that he would follow her.

_Hecate glared at Caldor as he stood next to a urinal. He wasn't going to the restroom, but wondering why it had to be so unclean._ _He didn't really care for dirty things, but he didn't know that he was about to become one of those dirty things. "Remember, you are to rape her until she is beaten down so much that she can't even think for herself," Hecate said while crossing her arms. Caldor glanced up and shifted his eyes toward his boss, he knew he wouldn't say anything against her orders. He didn't have it in him to do so._

_"There's something inside me that seems like it doesn't want to rape Calida," Caldor said while frowning. Hecate chuckled lightly and slowly shook her head. She took a step toward Caldor and placed her hand on his shoulder. She spoke a small chant and Caldor groaned as he felt something surging through his body. "Ugh, what's going on? Damn it!" Caldor screamed and fell to his knees while clutching his sides. "It hurts! Damn it, it hurts! Crap!" He looked up and stared at Hecate with pain, but also a look of anger. Soon, thoughts in his mind started to change and a streak of green appeared in his hair._

_"I am currently making your other sides weaker. You will be able to rape Calida and not care about what happens." Caldor placed his hands on his head and shouted out in pain as his mind started to turn hazy. "It hurts, I know, but it _will_ be over soon. Just remember what you have to do." Hecate glanced at a window and opened it, she smirked and looked over at Caldor. "She's coming. Go outside and take care of her." _

_Caldor stopped screaming and slowly stood up, he had an extremely evil look to his face. The homunculus side of him had taken over his mind entirely. "Yes ma'am, I will deal with Calida." Caldor turned and started walking out of the door. He thought he heard his name being called, but he couldn't tell where the voice was coming from._

"Caldor, snap out of it!" King shouted as he looked to his son. Caldor blinked and looked at his father. "Are you okay, Caldor? I found the secret door." Caldor slowly exhaled, his breathing was very shaky.

"Yeah, I just had remembered something…" King frowned and gave his son a hug.

"It's going to be okay, Caldor. I'm going to be here to help you out of this." Caldor nodded and a tear rolled down his cheek. He blinked and shook his head, he didn't have time to cry, he had to beat Hecate.

"Come on, Dad, let's go. Hecate's lost her key homunculus, all that's left is her." King nodded and led Caldor to the entrance of the lair. They got inside and an elevator started lowering itself to the ground. _"Your key servant is coming back, Hecate…" _Caldor's face scrunched and his muscles tightened. King shifted his eyes to the side at Caldor, he could see the anger and malice running through his veins. _"Prepare to die, Hecate."_

The elevator stopped and the doors opened, both men stepped out and looked around. "Will she know it's you?" King asked while crossing his arms. He looked straight ahead and spotted what looked to be a large building. "She's in there…" Caldor nodded and clenched his fists. He had a red glove on and a white glove, both gifts from Calida and Javad.

"They're with me right now…" King raised his eyebrow as Caldor lifted his hands up slightly. Caldor stared at the gloves and slowly closed his fists. "Calida and Javad are both with me, they're both rooting for me. It's up to me to avenge them. Together, we will kill Hecate." He brought his hands to his side and narrowed his eyes. Hecate would probably take a minute or two before realizing that he was not Cal, and that was very good.

"Yeah, they're with you in this."

"Of course they are." Caldor looked over at his father and gave a slight smile. "Dad, I want you to hang out outside the building until I give the signal." King raised his eyebrow and gave Caldor a questioning look. In Caldor's right hand, the white glove, a gun formed. Caldor pushed the gun into his pocket and crossed his arms. "When you hear the gunshot, come in, because then she will know who I really am." King nodded his head in response. With that, the two men walked toward the building. King pressed himself against the building wall as Caldor opened the door and walked in. He stood straight and narrowed his eyes, there was no turning back now.

The door slammed shut and Hecate walked into the room, she saw Caldor and smiled at him. Caldor felt a drop of sweat trickle down the side of his face. It wasn't from nervousness, but from Hecate herself. When he saw her, he remembered everything she forced him to do. He did his best to keep a straight face on, not letting her know he was having any trouble whatsoever. "Javad Elric and Edward Elric have been killed," Caldor said while crossing his arms over. Hecate raised her eyebrow and smirked, that was fine to her. "Calida Mustang got away…I barely survived the struggle."

"Your hair is no longer green, Cal," Hecate said while tilting her head. She tapped her chin and frowned. "Have you lost Envy?" Caldor remembered Envy being stabbed through the chest by his father. When Envy left Cal's body, Cal's hair did change. Caldor locked his jaw and nodded his head in return. Hecate crossed her arms and let out a sigh. "Oh well, I suppose that's fine. At least you didn't lose your life, I'm still not done with my experiment."

"Oh yeah, the experiment…" Caldor didn't know what she was talking about, but he had to humor her somehow. "How is that going, Lady Hecate?"

"Pretty good actually…" Hecate walked over to a wall and pressed a button. "Experimenting on this human boy from the other world is helping me out quite a bit. The only trouble is, I have been unable to harness his psychic power." The wall shifted and a boy came from it. Caldor's eyes widened when he saw the boy. He was covered in blood and slowly dying. "He will die soon, that much is true. It's a pity, but I know I gained something from the experiment."

"This is true, that's a good thing." The boy slowly lifted his head and stared at Caldor.

"P-Please…my father…"

"Oh right, his father's still in the other world," Hecate said while smirking slightly. "Michael Elric, it's a shame." Caldor tried to figure out who Michael Elric could be, he knew it couldn't be Ed's kid. Javad's only sibling was Megan. His eyes grew slightly and his mouth widened slightly, he had realized who it was.

"Alphonse Elric," Caldor whispered under his breath. Michael's body shook and he let out a groan. His body finally gave out and his head fell to his chest. Hecate made a humming sound and shrugged as she hit the button and sent Michael's body back into the hidden area of the wall.

"I guess he's pretty close to being dead," Hecate said while crossing her arms over. "I suspect he only has a few hours left to live. Poor thing, slipping in and out of consciousness like that…" Caldor knew if he could get to him, he could probably heal Michael to an extent. That's what his light alchemy did, it could heal people, but not completely. He couldn't take much more of it, he had to finish Hecate off now.

"Lady Hecate…" Hecate raised her eyebrow and stared at the button, almost contemplating whether she really wanted to turn around or not. She didn't see Caldor slip the gun out of his pocket and aim it toward her. His eyes narrowed and he took one step toward her. _"This is the end of you."_ He fired off a massive shot and blew a chunk out of Hecate's hip. She shouted out and Caldor swiftly snapped his fingers on his left hand together. A massive fire bolt shot out from the sky and Hecate swiftly leapt back.

"What were you aiming for?" Hecate asked with narrow eyes. Her eyes shifted over and she saw King step into the building, his sword drawn. "I see, so you aren't Cal, are you? You're Cal's human…Caldor."

"Yeah, and this is my father, _King Bradley_." Hecate shifted her eyes over and saw that the fire bolt had hit the button. The button was broken, but it had been pressed nonetheless. Michael's body came from the wall and she smirked.

"Smart move, bringing out the boy…I now have a hostage." Caldor raised his eyebrow and shrugged. He swiftly tossed his gun into the air and pressed his hands together, causing the room to light up, blinding Hecate. He grabbed the gun out of the air and shot the chains around Michael's arms and legs. "Damn it, what have you done!" Caldor gestured for his father to grab Michael.

King swiftly charged toward Michael and grabbed him before he hit the ground, he then rushed toward Caldor and laid him on the ground in front of his son. "What are you planning to do with him, Caldor?" King asked while raising his eyebrow. Caldor knelt beside Michael and glanced up, he knew the blinding light would vanish soon, so he had to work fast.

"You'll see," Caldor responded. He placed his hands on Michael's chest and closed his eyes. "Light Alchemy can be very similar to Soul Alchemy. I heard that Mr. Elric's brother uses it, and I don't know if Michael here can use alchemy or not. However, he is still an Elric." His hands began to glow and King looked up to stare at Hecate, she was still blind. Caldor opened his eyes and watched as the wounds on Michael's body started to close. Most of the wounds closed and healed entirely, fortunately those were the ones that were the worst.

"Hurry up, I think the light's fixing to go away." Caldor nodded and his alchemy stopped. He lifted his hands up and stared down at Michael. Michael slowly opened his eyes and let out a small groan.

"Where am I?" Michael asked as he slowly sat up.

"You're in the other world, this is where Javad Elric is." Michael's eyes shot open and he tried to stand up. Caldor slowly helped him up, knowing that some of the wounds could reopen if he wasn't careful. "Who are you?"

"Michael Elric, I was born eighteen years ago to Alphonse and Noah Elric. My mom is deceased and my father…he doesn't even know that I'm gone!"

"I see…Do you know how to perform alchemy?" Michael slowly nodded his head and let out a sigh.

"I, like my mother, am a psychic. I've had many visions of this Alchemy, and I know that I can perform it, just as my father and his brother."

"That's good. By the way, the lady that had you is an evil witch." Michael rubbed his head and groaned, he had to get rid of that massive pounding in his head.

"Yes, I figured. Possibly the daughter of the woman named Dante, and the enemy of my father and uncle."

"Yes."

"Okay, and by of my visions, are you not one of their enemies as well?" Caldor frowned and slowly shook his head.

"I am not, the real one is Cal, possessed with Envy. I, along with Javad, have killed him." A shrill scream let loose and Caldor glanced over to see Hecate quickly clasp her hands together. "Crap! Move out of the way!" Caldor pushed Michael aside and a shadow spike hit him in the side. "Ugh!"

"Ah, that's better, the light is no longer blinding," Hecate said while tucking her hear behind her ear. "Well then, Cal and Envy are dead. You're the one responsible…" Hecate narrowed her eyes and growled. "Damn you, how did you come out of them in the first place?"

"It was a philosopher's stone of course," King said while stepping next to his son. Caldor straightened his body and narrowed his eyes as he held his side.

"Ah, I guess that wasn't really destroyed then. What is the reason for your betrayal? What have I ever done? I have done nothing."

"Shut the hell up, Hecate!" Caldor exclaimed. He pulled his gun out and lifted his red glove up while pointing the gun toward Hecate. "You forced me to harm my best friends, among various other vile things. You're going to pay for every last one of them." Hecate tilted her head back and laughed. "What the hell are you laughing at, Hecate?" Caldor snapped his fingers and Hecate felt a fiery spike being thrust into her abdomen. Caldor then fired off a gunshot and blew a hole into her arm. She shouted out and brought her hand to her arm, she snarled and glared at Caldor.

"Damn you!" Hecate clasped her hands together and the room started to darken, the last thing anyone saw was a smirk on the woman's face. "This is my realm, you can no longer find me. If you attack, you risk hitting your friends. I can see you, though. I will be the one to kill you. You should regret your betrayal, you still have a chance to join me."

"I'll never join you! You've ruined my life enough already, there's no real reason to go back to you. I'm going to do everyone a favor, and I'm going to destroy you."

"King, to your left, she's on your left!" Michael shouted. He already knew everyone's names from his visions, so there was no need to question that. Hecate screamed out and the sound of blood gushing out and splattering on the ground rang about. Michael clasped his hands together, lightening the room a bit.

"Hmm, not perfect lighting, but not bad," Caldor said with a subtle smirk. He could see Hecate just fine. At least he didn't have to worry about getting rid of the gun just to brighten the room when Hecate turned it dark.

"Damn you, bastards," Hecate said while breathing heavily. She had a deep gash from her right shoulder and out her left abdomen. King stepped back and let out a small pant, he didn't even know where he was aiming. "I'm going to teach you what happens when you betray me!" Hecate clasped her hands together and smirked as a large spike appeared in front of her. Two large spikes appeared next to the middle one.

"Crap, she's going after all of us!" King shouted. Caldor narrowed his eyes and put the gun in his pocket, preparing for the spike. The three spikes shot toward their targets. King leapt to the side and slashed through the black spike with his sword. Caldor clasped his hands together and a light shield appeared in front of him, reflecting the spike back toward Hecate. The third spike hit Michael and shot through his chest and stayed inside of his body. The reflected spike hit Hecate in the abdomen. Both Michael and Hecate groaned and fell to their knees. Caldor looked over at Hecate and his eyes widened, something more was happening to him. Several shadow spikes shot from Michael's body and vanished into the air.

"Damn it, are you okay, Michael?" Michael looked up and groaned, he slowly stood up and started to pant.

"Yeah, I'm just fine," Michael stated. Hecate slowly stood up and glared at Caldor. Just as Michael, she too had blood all over her body from the prior attack. "I can't say the same for her, though."

"No, she's about to get a worse treatment…" King charged toward Hecate and slashed his sword toward her. She leapt back and avoided the slash. A dark blade appeared in her hand and she used it to clash with King's blade. Caldor smirked when he saw that her focus was now only on his father.

"Good job, Dad, keep her distracted!" Caldor shouted as he snapped his fingers. Hecate looked over and King leapt to the side. A large fire blast shot toward Hecate and hit her. Caldor then fired another bullet from the gun and hit Hecate in the chest. "Hit her again, Dad!" King nodded and slashed Hecate across the abdomen with his sword.

"Damn it!" Hecate shouted as the smoke cleared. She was panting heavily and holding her abdomen. Blood was flowing down her body.

"Aw, did you get hurt, _Lady_ Hecate?" Caldor smirked and Hecate screamed out in anger. She lifted her blade and threw it toward Caldor. It was too fast for him to avoid. "Damn it!" He lifted his hands up, but the attack never hit him. He opened his eyes and gasped when he saw Michael standing in front of him, arms extended and the blade thrust through his midsection and out his back. "Michael, what the hell do you think you're doing!"

"You have to live," Michael said in a weak voice. He grabbed the blade and pulled it out of himself. "You're the strong one, here. You're the one that can stop her, don't worry about me…I already have an illness anyway." Michael coughed and covered his mouth, he released his hand and saw blood on the palm. _"Damn…"_ Michael closed his eyes and saw another vision. His father was looking for him, in the same place that the portal had opened up and claimed him. Something was going to happen, but Michael couldn't see what. His visions were blurred, because of his deep wounds and his illness. All he knew was something was going to happen where his father was.

"You think you're going to win?" Hecate asked while she stood erect. She had regained her composure. "You're not going to win, you can't win." Hecate clasped her hands together and a shadow dragon appeared in the air, it shot toward Caldor and took him into his mouth. King gasped and Hecate smirked, she took this as a sign of near victory. "Oh dear, have you been eaten by a dragon?"

"Damn you, bitch!" King shouted as he charged toward Hecate. He slashed his blade upwards, cutting Hecate's back. She grunted and swiftly turned around. She narrowed her eyes and glared at King, getting ready to attack and kill him.

"I'm not dead!" Hecate raised her eyebrow and looked over at the shadow dragon. She saw it turn clear and vanish. Caldor fell from the dragon and landed on one knee, he glared up at Hecate, hate burning in his eyes. King smirked and thrust his blade through Hecate's lower back and out her abdomen.

"Damn!" Hecate groaned and her hands went to her abdomen, forgetting the blade that was there. She cut her hands and yelped in pain.

"It looks like victory will be on my side this time." Caldor lifted his gun and aimed it for Hecate, he placed his red gloved hand over the gun and the white hand. He smirked and Hecate raised her eyebrow.

"What the hell are you planning?"

"Consider this a message from both Calida and Javad, given to you by me. This is revenge from all three of us." Caldor pulled the trigger on the gun, smirking as Hecate's eyes widened in fear. King pulled the blade from Hecate and rolled to the side as an intense, blue flame shot from the gun and through Hecate's chest. Hecate shouted in pain and crumpled to the ground.

Caldor panted slightly and lowered his weapon, it seemed that Hecate was now dead. He walked over to Hecate and stood next to his father, glaring down at the witch. "You get what you deserve, for raping Calida, controlling me, and attacking Javad." Then, the victory hit him full blast. He was free, he had reconciled for his sins. He fell to his knees and stared at Hecate, and at the same time, not staring at her. Memories of his time as a homunculus ran through his mind, and soon they left. They wouldn't be gone forever, but for the moment, they were no longer a problem.

"You did it," King said as he placed his hand on Caldor's chest. "You did it." Caldor smiled softly and slowly nodded his head. Neither King nor Caldor saw Hecate move. She had one last thing to do before her life ended. She pressed her hand on the ground and Michael's eyes widened.

"C-Caldor," Michael said in a weak and shaky voice. He was dying, that much was obvious. "Look out." Neither man heard his voice. A gate shot from the ground and started to open, Caldor and King stared at it with wide eyes.

"What the hell!" King exclaimed. He quickly grabbed Caldor, hoping to keep his son from any harm. Long, shadow arms grabbed them and pulled them into the gate. Another man emerged from the gate, it was Al.

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So Caldor and King have defeated Hecate, but at the price of being banished to another world. At least Caldor has Javad and Calida's gloves to remember them by. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, the next should be up soon.


	54. Al's Return

A New Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Thoughts in _italics_, Speech in regular. This chapter will start off with just a little prior to the fight.

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Chapter 54 (Al's return)

"What? Where am I?" Al asked while looking around. He had been pulled in by the portal, not knowing how it appeared to begin with. He saw the gate and his eyes widened, the doors of the gate closed and soon it vanished completely. Al shifted his gaze down and saw Hecate lying in a pool of blood; he leaned down and pressed his fingers to her neck. "Dead…"

"D-Dad," Michael groaned out. Al looked over and his eyes widened, his son was bleeding profusely. He ran over to Michael and caught his son as he fell forward.

"Michael, this is where you've been?" Al asked. His eyes quivered slightly, he couldn't save his son.

"Yes. That lady is Hecate, the daughter of Dante." Al's eyes widened and he looked over at Hecate; he growled slightly and shifted his gaze back to Michael. "Caldor and King Bradley finished her off, but not before getting taken back to our world."

"I see…Michael, how did you get in the middle of this?"

"I was her captive." Al closed his eyes and frowned. "Dad, I don't know a lot, but I do know that Caldor mentioned Javad was here." Al nodded in response, that was good news to hear. If Javad was there, then Ed was as well. "They will probably be happy to see you."

"Maybe, but only if Ed actually can forgive me for taking Noah's side all those years ago…" Al's eyes drifted to the side and his mouth formed to a frown.

"He should, you are his brother after all. Tell them, Caldor and King fought valiantly." Al nodded and Michael coughed once more. "It's good to see you again, dad."

"Yeah, too bad it ended too shortly." Michael nodded and closed his eyes. Al frowned and closed his eyes, his body began to shake as tears left his eyes. He laid Michael's body on the ground and slowly stood up. _"When I get out of here, I'll have them retrieve your body."_ Al bowed his head and stood there for the next few minutes, mourning the loss of his beloved son. He clenched his fists and locked his jaw. _"I lost my wife, I lose my son…at least I can still find my brother. Maybe…"_

-NEW SCENE-

Ed led Calida and Javad back to the bathroom area, but Calida chose not to go anywhere near the restroom. She was still afraid that Cal was still alive and that she would hurt her, so Javad wanted to show her that he was dead and would no longer harm her. They saw two large puddles of liquid on the ground; they were the remains of the homunculi that Javad and Caldor killed previously. Ed looked toward the restroom and took a deep breath. "I'm guessing you two aren't going to want to go inside there," Ed said while crossing his arms over. Earlier Calida had brought her bravery up enough that she would have gone in, but because of Cal, the memories were fluent in her mind.

"There's no way in hell I'm going in there," Calida said while shuddering. Javad nodded in agreement, he didn't intend on going in there and leaving Calida out by herself. The three looked over as a car drove up and parked next to them. The doors opened and Sapphire jumped out of the car, running toward Calida. Calida laughed lightly and scooped Sapphire up in her arms. Roy, Riza, Winry and Megan all exited the vehicle.

"You called, Fullmetal?" Roy asked while staring at Ed. Ed had phoned Roy earlier, asking that he come and possibly pick up Calida. Roy looked over at Javad and Calida. Javad had one arm wrapped around Calida's waist and she had tearstains on her cheek. "Calida, are you okay? Javad, I see you managed to stay alive." Roy smirked and Javad let out a small chuckle. Calida smiled at Roy, glad that her father was there. Riza ran over to Calida and gave her a hug. She had been concerned for Calida's safety, especially when Roy told her Ed phoned him and said Calida was suffering from flashbacks. Roy's gaze shifted toward the two puddles and smirked. "Nice work, if those are the homunculi."

"They are, daddy," Calida said while walking over to Roy and giving him a hug. Roy wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back, he had been very worried about her.

"What did that bastard say to you, Calida? Did he touch you at all?"

"No, Javad didn't let him come near me. As for what he said, I'd rather not talk about that."

"I understand. I'm just glad you're safe."

"I hope I didn't worry you that much." Roy pulled back and smiled at Calida. He would always be worried about Calida, especially if something bad was going on. Calida turned and looked over at Javad; she then shifted her gaze to the puddles and crossed her arms over. "Cal got what he deserved, that's for sure." She snapped her fingers, causing the two puddles to light up on fire. "I never want to hear that bastard's name again." Javad smiled and placed his arm around Calida's waist, he kissed her forehead and gazed into her eyes.

"You never have to hear his name again," Javad replied. His voice was calm and soothing to her ears. Her lips formed into a tiny smile as she wrapped her arms and rested her chin on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and tears started dripping down her cheek. Everyone else looked at the two and smiled, glad that Calida had Javad with her. He could definitely take care of her. The love between the two was great. Javad placed his hand on the back of Calida's head and slowly ran his hand through her hair, comforting her and making her feel warm and safe. Oddly, it was a very calming sensation from where they stood. The breeze blew around them and a feeling of peace seemed to grow around the people in the area.

"Do you think Hecate is dead?"

"I don't know, we just have to wait and see if Caldor walks out of that bathroom. Hopefully Caldor and King walk out, and not Hecate." Calida nodded and looked over toward the bathroom, she narrowed her eyes and stepped away from Javad.

"How long has it been since he went in?" Javad stared at the bathroom and rubbed his chin. Caldor had gone in at least an hour ago. "It's been longer than half an hour, right?" Javad nodded and Calida swallowed. "Mr. Elric, maybe you can go check and see if Caldor is in there.

"Yeah, I'll do that," Ed responded. He turned and started to walk toward the bathroom. A loud clattering sound was heard from inside the bathroom, causing Ed to stop and everyone to stare at the restroom with arched eyebrows. "Someone's coming out, so everyone get ready. If it's Hecate, we'll take her down now…" Calida nodded and lifted her hand up, ready to snap and ignite the person if it was Hecate. Roy lifted his hand while Ed and Javad transmuted their trademark weapons. Riza placed her hand on her gun and narrowed her eyes, waiting for the person to come out. The door started to open, and the sleeve of someone's arm was seen. It was different than Caldor's sleeve, alerting the group that it wasn't Caldor and most likely not King.

"What was Hecate wearing, does anyone know?" Roy asked while letting out a small growl. Nobody responded, they had no clue what she wore. Soon the door opened up all the way, and Al stepped out of the bathroom. Everyone stared at him with wide eyes and confusion. "What the hell…"

"Al, what are _you_ doing here?" Ed asked while staring at Al with his mouth ajar. Al looked over at Ed and chuckled lightly, glad to see that Ed was right there. "Y-You're supposed to be in the other world, with your son. Don't get me wrong, it's great to see you again, but…what happened? How did you get here?" Everybody lowered their weapons and Al crossed his arms, letting out a small sigh. He frowned and slowly closed his hands, thinking back on his son's death. "Wait…where is Caldor and his father, King?"

"It's good to see you again, Brother," Al said while crossing his arms. He let out a small sigh and glanced toward the ground. "My son was a victim of Hecate. She apparently took him from the other world and injured him. He fought with Caldor and King…but I didn't see the fight." Calida's eyes widened and her hand twitched slightly, she wanted to know that Caldor and his father were okay. Caldor had just received his freedom, he couldn't die. "Michael is dead…" Ed gasped and his eyes softened.

"Al…I'm so sorry." Al looked at Ed and gave a small smile. He was nervous about what Ed's reaction to him being here would be, since he knew that Ed probably was still harboring resentment toward the fight they all had years ago. Al shifted his eyes over and saw Winry, he smiled at her and looked toward Ed.

"So, you finally found Winry…I'm happy for you."

"Y-Yeah, and this is your niece…" Ed placed his hand on Megan's back and smiled. Megan raised her eyebrow and looked at her father, she then glanced back to Al and stared at him nervously. She wasn't normally shy, so she didn't want to come across as such. She smiled and took a step toward Al.

"So, you're Uncle Al?" Megan asked while looking at her uncle. She was almost suspicious of whom he was, but he actually looked like her father. Al nodded and Megan quickly gave him a hug. "It's so good to finally meet you." Al hesitated and looked toward Ed. Ed gave him a reassuring smile, indicating that he accepted him back. Al smiled softly and gave Megan a hug, glad to finally be meeting his niece.

"Hey, you're lucky," Javad said while crossing his arms and smirking. Al looked over and raised his eyebrow. "You got here a month before your nephew gets married."

"You're getting married, really?"

"You'll never believe who it is. It's the most beautiful girl in the world." Calida blushed at his statement and gave a small smile as Javad smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Calida…this is my uncle, Al. Uncle, this is my best friend, fiancé, and the most beautiful angel in the world…" Calida blushed again and sighed, wondering how it was possible that he was making her blush at all. Calida looked at Al and smiled, Al returned the smile and stepped toward her.

"It's good to meet you, sir," Calida said while holding her smile. She shrugged and gave Al a hug, glad to meet another member of Javad's family.

"It's good to meet you as well." Al then rubbed his chin and glanced over at Javad, smirking. "Javad, is this the girl that you spoke of years ago?" Javad blinked and chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. "The Colonel's daughter, even…you sure weren't thinking straight for leaving her behind."

"Yeah, I've learned my lesson," Javad said while sighing and rolling his eyes. Calida smirked and narrowed her eyes while staring at Javad, she was never going to let him go for that, even if she was just teasing him.

"Yeah, and he knows if he ever does something like that again, he's going to get it big time," Calida stated while crossing her arms. Javad's mouth fell and he quickly regained his composure.

"I've already said that I would never leave you, and a promise is a promise."

"From what I hear, Megan made you make that promise."

"Nah…all she did was ask if I'd make you happy. I promised both of you over time that I would make you happy." Javad wrapped his arms around Calida's waist and pulled her close, she let out a small gasp and brought her hands up to rest on his chest. Javad smirked and Calida soon found herself lost in his gaze. "How am I doing in keeping that promise? Do you have any idea?"

"I'd say you're doing just fine…"

"Oh, well then, that's a very good thing." Javad smirked and gave Calida a quick and gentle peck on the lips. "I'll always love you, and I will _never_ leave you."

"I believe you." Everyone smiled again and Roy quickly remembered something that had been forgotten.

"Al…did you see Caldor, King, or Hecate anywhere?" Roy asked while turning his head to look at Al. Javad and Calida broke apart and looked toward Al, hoping to hear about the fate of Caldor. Al closed his eyes, appearing to be thinking about Caldor.

"I saw Hecate, she is dead." Calida gave a sigh of relief and Javad took her hand in his, gently squeezing it and smiling. The news was definitely a relief to everyone, but they still wanted to know about Caldor. "Michael told me that before she died, she used one final attack…It's the one that brought me here. She opened the gate, and I came here while I'm guessing they went to the world I came from." A gasp was heard from the group, and silence soon formed over everyone, they were in shock. Everyone bowed their heads, thinking of Caldor and King. Calida wiped a tear from her eye and looked up, smiling softly.

"Then he's still alive," Calida said in a quiet voice. "I'm happy for him. He wanted that freedom, and I think if he was in this world, he would never really be free. Even still, I'm prisoner to my memories…but maybe he can relax, since he's in another world." Javad nodded and the others all agreed with her. "I hope he will be able to find a new life in the other world. As for now, we can relax. I want to have a good, peaceful wedding, so let's go home and just rest and get ready for the wedding."

"Yeah, let's go," Javad said in a calm voice. He loved how Calida was willing to wish Caldor a good life, despite her fear of him. Even though she knew it was Cal, not Caldor, that hurt her, she still had that fear. With that, everyone turned and got into the car. They smiled at the thought that Caldor wouldn't have to be alone, he at least had a part of them to remember them by, Calida and Javad's gloves. They would have a lot to discuss with Al, and a lot to do in preparation for the wedding.

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There it is, the final chapter of A NEW ENEMY. This is where I thank all those who stuck with me through the end. Since there was only Roxas, I shall thank that person. Thanks Roxas, you kept me going! There is no need to write out the wedding chapter, so this is it. All ends well it seems. Please go ahead and read AGAINST ALL ODDS and my other stories folks. I'm sure you'll enjoy those. Thanks again!


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